


Everything’s Changing

by Beedok



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: Asexual Character, Gender Exploration, Gender Fluid Character, Magic transition, Multi, Polyamory, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-04-11 20:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19116976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beedok/pseuds/Beedok
Summary: Akane starts anger management counselling. Ranma gets encouraged to try to embrace their feminine side. One thing leads to another, and now Akane’s a boy, Ranma’s a both, and Ryoga found his way into the middle somehow.Commission for DaphnieDi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DaphneDi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaphneDi/gifts).



Akane hugged her stuffed pig as she watched a bit of some supernatural shonen anime. As soft as it was, it just didn’t replace the warmth having an actual piglet. “I miss P-chan... but, I guess he’s probably happier with Akari.”

As soon as she said it she realised two different sets of eyes were staring at her. One set was Nabiki’s, who was giving her a stare that felt as cold as February in Sapporo. The other eyes however... she nervously realised they were Ranma’s, the redhead having been passing by in the hallway as Akane had made her remark.

“W-what did you just say?” Ranma asked.

“Nothing,” Akane replied, shrinking back a bit.

“You _definitely_ said P-chan was living with Akari,” Nabiki said, her tone cold and a vampiric grin spreading across her face. Akane loathed her sister’s love of chaos sometimes.

“Well, uh... he was, er, _obviously_ Ryoga’s pet, with the... the matching bandana and all that. I was just... pet sitting. Yeah!” Akane stammered, hoping Ranma would believe her latest effort to play dumb and agree quickly.

That was not what happened.

Instead, Ranma grew pale, one eye twitching. A lone question escaped the redhead, the voice asking it drained of emotion. “You knew?”

“I... fine, yeah. I knew. I’m not _that_ oblivious. Yeesh! You two weren’t subtle at all. And it’s not like daddy stayed quiet about the times Ryoga changed in front of him,” Akane replied, crossing her arms defensively.

“You knew and you still let him into your room?” Ranma shouted.

Akane stared at the redhead. “Yes? I mean, he’s basically been homeless since middle school, hasn’t seen his parents in who knows how long, and, just... he deserved a little kindness.”

“There’s kindness, and then there’s lettin’ him sleep in yer bed!” Ranma countered, an eyebrow twitching.

“Mhm, I remember what happened to your stuffed animals when you were little, Akane. It’s cruel to make anyone share a bed with you,” Nabiki commented, utterly unperturbed by the chaos she’d helped to initiate.

“I still can’t believe ya call me a pervert when you knowingly had a guy in yer bed all the time!” Ranma fumed, storming off towards the kitchen.

“Don’t you go and leave when we’re having a conversation!” Akane shouted, hopping to her feet and chasing after her fiancée. “I made sure he wasn’t looking at any point! Plus, I doubt he was thinking about any girls but you.”

“What!? I ain’t a girl, and there’s no way he was interested!” Ranma shouted, red in the face (from anger?). “The little pig was in there leering at you, and you let him!”

“He wasn’t leering! I know what it feels like when a guy is looking at me that way, and he never did! Stop jumping to conclusions!” Akane countered.

In the living room, Nabiki casually turned the volume up on the television. This one was going to last a while.

* * *

Dr. Tofu removed his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. The monthly expense reports were never fun to write, but they were rather essential to keeping the clinic running. Blinking and looking back at his computer screen he realised he was approaching numerical burn out however. A break would be nice right about now.

In a bit of exceptionally fortuitous karma, his ears were greeted by the ringing of the front door opening. Tofu quickly saved his files and went to check who it was.

A short walk down the hall later and he was greeted by the sight of a rather embarrassed looking young Tendo.

“Hello there, Akane,” the doctor said as he entered the waiting room. “And what brings you to visit me today? You look like you’re in good health.”

Akane started to answer, before blushing and taking a moment to recompose herself. “I was arguing with Ranma earlier today, and he ended up saying I needed anger management therapy. Normally I’d have just ignored it as an insult, but, for some reason, it stuck with me today. I guess we’ve just still been fighting so much... even though I want it to work. So I thought I’d try asking you if you knew anyone I could try talking to?”

“Well, I must say, that’s very mature of you, taking his comments to heart like that,” Tofu replied, feeling proud of the young woman in front of him.

Akane’s blush grew worse. “Well, _at the time_ I chucked a toaster and her annoying red head and said I wasn’t crazy... but once I calmed down it sounded more reasonable.”

The young doctor tried his best not to laugh. Those two were such a handful. Maybe a bit of counselling could help.

The mention of Ranma’s (at the time) hair colour took a moment to remind Tofu of one of their central ‘oddities’ however. While he knew quite a few councillors, most of whom were good people, not all of them were experienced with ‘non-traditional’ relationships like Akane and Ranma’s.

Ah, but there was one he could probably trust to handle them.

“I think I know just who to send you to, Akane. Give me one second to find you her business card.”

Akane lit up. “I knew you were the right person to ask.”

Tofu smiled at her, before heading to look for his business card holder. After a few moments he remembered which drawer it was in and produced one of the cards from his old friend from medical school.

“Here we are. Dr. Sakamoto, technically a psychiatrist, but reasonably priced. She knows how to be quite discreet. Operates in the south west end of Nerima,” Tofu explained. “I think the map on the card should be clear enough?”

Akane looked it over a moment before nodding. “Mhm, yeah. That looks good. I... how much is it? I’d prefer not to have to tell anyone. I don’t want them judging me, but I can only get so much money out of daddy before he’d start asking questions.”

“Akane, after everything you’ve been through... I’d be happy to talk to your father about this directly if you would like? Privately, of course. But to assure him that there’s nothing wrong with you seeking help,” Tofu offered.

“Th-that would help. Thank you.”

* * *

Two weeks later, Akane stepped into the office of Dr. Sakamoto for her first visit. It did _not_ look like she expected. There were the usual bookshelves of medical texts, but there was also a not insignificant collection of CDs present. Various degrees were on display, but the expected serene landscape paintings had been replaced with bits of pop art and movie posters. Akane also noticed the presence of a few shinai and nerf guns beside the desk, while the only seat available was a rather minimalist looking couch. Tentatively, Akane took a seat and waited for her new psychiatrist (the receptionist had said she’d just be a moment).

A couple more minutes of Akane not knowing how to process her surroundings followed before the side door at last opened. Dr. Sakamoto looked very much like she fit in the office, a professional blazer and dress pants mixed with a manga print shirt and sunglasses on her forehead.

“Hey, sorry about the wait. Was just trying to double check your file. Tofu-kun gave very thorough notes,” the blonde woman said as she sat down. “Some of it sounds half unbelievable.”

Akane gave a nervous smile. “Life has gotten pretty hectic since high school started.”

“Hectic is _one_ way to describe what he told me...” The doctor replied. “Well, what do you want to start with?”

Akane took a deep breath. “My temper. I’m just so worried I’m a naturally toxic person? My anger seems to just be getting worse with time, and I don’t know how to handle it. I _want_ to be a softer person, to be open to Ranma, but... I just feel like I’m raising my defences higher each day.”

“Hmm... Uh, you _died_ one time, didn’t you?

Akane blinked. “Um, yes? I’m not sure what that has to do—“

“You were kidnapped on multiple occasions too?”

Akane nodded. “Er... a few times? I guess? I’m not sure what that has to do with my anger though?”

“Those are some pretty major events,” Dr. Sakamoto replied calmly. “Do you ever have nightmares about them?”

“Sometimes? How does that affect my temper though? Also, I’ve always been considered grumpy. It’s not something new that happened in the last year” Akane asked.

“You’ve said that it’s gotten worse though.”

Akane nodded.

“Traumatic events can leave one dealing with something called ‘hyperarousal’, which, sadly, is not as fun as it might sound. It’s basically akin to running on your ‘fight or flight’ responses at all times. I was told that your school grades have been suffering lately, which would fit. While it might not be the cause of your anger, it’s no doubt exasperating the situation. So, as hard as it may be... it could be good for you to try to talk about the things that have happened to do? Starting with whatever you feel most comfortable with, of course.”

Akane swallowed nervously. “I... I don’t really like thinking about those things. If you think it would help though—“ Akane paused to wait for the doctor to nod, “—Okay, well, I’ll try. The first big annoyance was after Kuno gave his speech...”

* * *

Akane took a breath of fresh air as she stepped out from the councillor’s office. She wasn’t sure if she exactly felt lighter, but the weight on her shoulders at least felt healthier. Somehow.

“Is, uh, is everythin’ okay, Akane?” a familiar voice asked, the tone softer than usual.

Akane turned, a confusing mess of emotions bubbling up inside her. She tried her best to stay calm, taking a deep breath like Dr. Sakamoto had suggested might help. “Did you follow me, Ranma?”

“Um... yeah. Sorry, it’s just uncle Soun was actin’ so funny since seein’ Dr. Tofu with you the other week. And then suddenly ya snuck off. So I was worried ya might be really sick or somethin’?” the handsome boy replied. “I was guessin’ ya didn’t tell me so I wouldn’t worry, but... well, I can’t help but worry.”

Akane’s heart fluttered a bit. That was pretty close to peak romantic sentiment from Ranma, and it had come so easily. “I suppose the secret’s out now, though. I’m seeing a psychiatrist.”

Akane gave an awkward grimace, hoping Ranma wouldn’t judge her too much for caving and asking for outside help.

Ranma nodded. “If it helps, it helps. Don’t get why people are so hung up about it.”

Akane couldn’t help smiling. Sometimes she forgot what an outsider Ranma was to the general highly conformist society around them. While it hadn’t done his manners any favours, it had left him a more genuine person, and that was something she loved about him.

“Come on, I’m getting hungry and there’s a nice looking burger place I saw on the way from the bus stop,” Akane said waving for Ranma to follow her.

To her surprise, her fiance did more than that, catching up and taking her hand. “I’m just so glad you’re alright.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you worry too much,” Akane said, shifting her pace to match Ranma’s.

“Well, with our lives it makes sense ta worry. This time though, since it’s a good thing, I think we should celebrate. Whaddya say I take ya out ta eat tonight? Somethin’ a bit nicer than burgers. I’ve been savin’ up.”

“Saotome Ranma, are you suggesting a date?” Akane asked, leaning into his personal space with an innocent smile.

“I-what? Uh... um, maybe? Is it okay if I was?” the pigtailed boy asked nervously.

“More than okay. I’d love it,” Akane replied.

* * *

Akane checked her makeup in her compact one last time while waiting for Ranma. She had no idea what was taking him so long, but her best guess was nerves. Her own stomach was full of butterflies, and she knew Ranma handled these things even more poorly than she did.

“S-sorry I’m late,” Ranma said, coming into view as he stepped off the stairs. He’d found a western style red dress shirt with a white tie (which he was still fiddling with), and was looking quite presentable. “Took me awhile ta get everything ready.”

Akane tried her best not to giggle at the idea of his simple outfit being such a hassle. “Had to look up how to tie a tie did you?”

“Er, well, I had ta prepare some stuff,” Ranma muttered, blushing as he took in Akane’s appearance. “Y-you look c-cute.”

A bright flash blinded the pair, and they turned to glare at Nabiki.

“What? You’ll want to remember this, and for just 500¥ I’ll give you a copy.”

The other two rolled their eyes.

“Come on, Akane. Let’s go try out this restaurant. I hear it’s the best Thai food in Nerima,” Ranma said, his nerves apparently calmed by annoyance at Nabiki.

* * *

The pair had made it to less than a block from the restaurant when it began to rain. Despite doing their best to rush in doors, Ranma had already changed by the time they made it inside, even if both of them were only slightly damp.

The maître d’ raised an eyebrow at the pair of girls, and especially Ranma’s outfit, but avoided commenting. “A table for how many?”

“Two please,” a flustered Ranma replied. “The reservation under ‘Tendo’.”

The man nodded and led them towards a table next to the window. As they walked, Akane grabbed Ranma’s hand to reassure the shorter girl.

“Here is your table, madams. Will there be anything else?”

“Er, which way is it to the facilities?” Ranma asked. “I need to clean up a little.”

“Towards the back, 2nd door on your left,” the man replied, before heading off.

Akane sat down smiling to Ranma as the redhead gave an awkward wave and ran towards the washrooms. Akane decided to quietly look over the menu as she waited, and grew fascinated by the idea of putting coconut milk in curry. Japanese cooking had never worked for her, but maybe something more foreign would be better?

Akane shook her head. That really didn’t make any sense.

...Where _was_ Ranma?

Akane glanced up, didn’t see him, and shift back to staring at the menu. Her mind was not on the food now however. Instead, it was the question of whether it was appropriate to burst into the men’s bathroom to look for him or not. Should she suspect Shampoo or Ukyo of sabotaging? Shampoo wouldn’t surprise her, but Ukyo had seemed honestly regretful about how the wedding fiasco had gone.

She’d gotten deep into worrying about whether she’d be left with wall repair bills, had it been Shampoo, when Akane heard the chair across from her move. Akane looked up, and stalled a moment as she realised Ranma had changed, but not the way expected.

The redhead was now sitting across from Akane with loose hair hanging just past shoulder length, a cute forest green dress, and subtle, but skillful, makeup.

“Uh?” was the best Akane could manage.

“W-what’s wrong?” Ranma asked, big blue eyes filling with nervous energy.

“That wasn’t exactly what I expected you to come back looking like, seeing as how there was hot water available in the washroom and everything,” Akane replied.

“Oh, heh, right. It’s just that I found this dress at a second hand store, and I thought it was really nice. And when I was gettin’ ready tonight, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go guy or girl, so I packed it away just in case... I-if you need me to go back ta bein’ a guy I can?” Ranma offered, though there was a disappointment in those big innocent eyes.

“I just thought you would be more comfortable in this situation as a guy?” Akane offered. Though she knew it was also because she would be more comfortable with Ranma as a guy. She was attracted to both, but she wasn’t sure how to handle that and didn’t want to have to think about it.

“It’s like I said at Jusenkyo, girl mode has always been a part of me, I was just in denial,” Ranma replied, picking up the menu to start looking it over.

“Wait. You were serious then? I thought you were just trying to seem stoic.”

“Nah. Like, the tears I cried were tears of relief at having admitted it. ‘Course then the weddin’ happened with the Nannichuan and I wasn’t really thinkin’, I just panicked and knew I was _supposed_ ta want to be a full time guy, y’know? But, that night I was glad I didn’t get the stuff and was beatin’ myself up for riskin’... well, this,” Ranma replied, gesturing to her current form. “I think I’m going to try embracin’ this side of me more... if that’s okay?”

Nervously, Akane nodded. If she was going to try something new with her counselling, how could she turn around and stop Ranma from trying to grow as a person too? Besides, Ranma was really a guy. This was just a bit of fun... surely? (And it wasn’t like someone would _voluntarily_ start dealing with the annoyances of being a girl, right?)

“Cool. I can’t wait ta try the food here. What do ya think your gettin’?” the redhead asked, distracting Akane for the moment.

* * *

The meal had been delicious, and remarkably peaceful. Akane had shied under the scrutinizing eyes of some other patrons, wanting to loudly protest they weren’t _really_ lesbians, but deciding against it as she was too nervous to risk drawing even more attention her way. Now they were free of prying eyes as they walked along quiet residential Nerima streets though, and Akane felt more comfortable.

As they strolled through the golden light of evening, Akane felt Ranma’s head leaning towards her shoulder as the smaller girl took hold of her arm. Akane felt a flush of emotion with that touch. Something about it felt so right, yet there was something else that felt wrong.

Somewhere deep in Akane’s subconscious a quiet thought emerged, gone almost as soon as it appeared, but enough to give Akane a confused blush: ‘I could be her boyfriend’.

Akane didn’t know what to make of it, but couldn’t shake the feeling that right now Ranma might just want a boyfriend. The short redhead certainly seemed the more feminine of the two of them right now.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Ranma had spent a few of the days as a girl. Catching the redhead painting her toenails at one point rather surprised Akane. Cooking with Kasumi was less of a surprise, and Ranma did that in either form fairly often these days, though accepting a cute piyo-piyo apron was a bit of a change.

Even when male Ranma was seeming softer, though part of that was likely also from Akane’s efforts to control her temper.

This is not to say they didn’t argue. Ranma remained a brat and Akane still had her temper, but no furniture or appliances were thrown.

The strange thoughts about somehow becoming Ranma’s boyfriend lingered however, even floating into Akane’s dreams at times, and Akane knew she had to talk about those in her appointment... if she could work up the courage to.

Luckily Dr. Sakamoto was waiting for her when she entered the psychologist’s office, freeing Akane of those nervous moments alone in the room.

“Tendo, it’s good to see you again,” the young doctor said, her smile warm. “How have things been?”

“Better, I think,” Akane replied as she took her seat. “I’m still arguing with Ranma, but I think he’d get bored if we stopped altogether.”

“Oh? Are you okay with that?”

Akane scrunched her face up a moment, trying to think it over. “If he got a little better at figuring out the line between good natured and malicious teasing I wouldn’t mind. When he’s done it right, the cheeky look in his eyes is... well, it’s rather cute.”

“Mmm... I might have a booklet or two you could give him to read that could help. Any other new developments? You seem like you have something on your mind.”

“It’s that obvious?” Akane asked, getting a smirk and a nod from the doctor. “I... well, Dr. Tofu told you about Ranma’s curse, right?”

“He felt it was quite central to your relationship, so yes.”

Akane nodded. “Ranma’s exploring it a bit. I mean, he’s spent time as a girl before, but he was pretty well never really taking it seriously. He just seemed to view it as a means to an end. But now he’s actually embracing it, just doing casually feminine things for their own sake. At least when his parents aren’t around.”

“Are you worried Ranma’s going to prefer living as a girl?” the young doctor asked softly.

Akane blinked. She’d honestly figured that wasn’t even an option. “I mean, he’s a guy? So, he’ll get bored eventually, right?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I believe Tofu-kun told you I’m an LGBT friendly councillor when sending you my way? I’ve got more than a couple clients who thought they were one gender growing up, but came to understand that they were something else with time. As I haven’t talked to your fiance directly, I shouldn’t begin to guess where Ranma will end up, but I do think it’s a possibility you might want to think about. Would you be okay with a girlfriend, if that’s where Ranma goes?”

“I’d love Ranma either way,” Akane said after a moment’s thought. “To be honest, he’s usually less of a jerk as a girl. Not by a huge margin, but just enough... I don’t know if I’d be ready to be a boyfriend or not though.”

Suddenly Akane felt something flick her in the head, though whatever it was stayed there. Looking up, Akane realised in was a nerf dart.

“You do know lesbians are a thing, right?” Dr. Sakamoto asked, a nerf gun in her hand.

Her cheeks hot from blushing, Akane nodded. “I do... but, I don’t know why, it’s just that something about the term feels so wrong when applied to me.”

“Well, it’s possible that’s fear of how society might perceive you... but you might also want to think about the idea of following your fiance in exploring your identity a little.”

“I don’t think I’d make a very convincing guy, so that might be kind of hard?”

“Maybe... though Tofu-kun told me there’s instant Jusenkyo powder available. Maybe you can try some of that? If you want to, of course. I can’t tell you who you are, I’m just here to help you figure out how to find your own answers.”

“I... I’ll think about it,” Akane mumbled, her entire face red with blushing now.

“Would you like to keep discussing this issue, or should we focus on some anger management techniques?”

“I think the latter. I still have a lot to think about before I can say anything more on the other front,” Akane replied.

“Very well. Oh, and you can pull the dart off your forehead at any time.”

* * *

Ranma was waiting for Akane at a nearby park this time. Akane had liked being able to talk to Ranma right away last time, so he’d gone with her openly this time. Akane smiled a bit as she watched Ranma running through especially showy katas to the amusement of the children watching.

Eventually he noticed her, and quickly finished up his kata, bowing to the kids, before hurrying over to Akane’s side.

“So, how was it this week?” Ranma asked.

“Educational,” Akane replied. “She gave me some reading.. and a little bit of reading for you too.”

Ranma’s eyes filled with fear. “I gotta get homework from this too?”

“Well, you don’t _have_ to, but I would really appreciate it? I know you’re there for me if I’m ever facing an external threat, but it would be nice to know you have my back in my internal struggle too,” Akane replied, giving her best smile.

As hoped, Ranma melted under the gesture. “I... I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

With that, the pair headed off to catch their bus back to Furinkan-cho. When one avoided rush hour, Akane kind of liked the bus. A person could just relax and let the world drift by without a thought. Today’s bus had proven particularly empty and the young couple sat in the back well away from the few elderly passengers near the front.

Absently watching the city slide past, Akane decided to try to ask her big question delicately.

“Ranma,” Akane began, turning to him, “I... I was wondering how you might feel if I tried exploring a bit about who I am, like you’ve been doing?”

The handsome boy looked rather confused at that. “What exactly do ya mean? Like, gonna try ta rework yer wardrobe or somethin’?”

Akane couldn’t help but smile at the look of Ranma’s honest confusion. “Something a _little_ bit more drastic. If you’re okay with it... um, well... _tryingsomeinstantnannichuan_.”

Akane felt rather embarrassed for having blurted the last bit all together, but it felt a little terrifying to admit the curiosity.

Ranma other the other hand stared at Akane for a moment, a look of pure confusion on his face before he turned to look towards the front of the bus. He seemed lost in thought, and Akane began to worry that it had been a mistake. This was just a strange confused idea... one of those thoughts you were never supposed to share with anyone.

“If ya wanna, I’d be a jerk ta say ‘no’,” Ranma half mumbled. “At the very least, it could help me ta better understand how you feel when I go girl? I guess I ain’t been thinkin’ about what it’s like from your side that much.”

Akane stared at him in shock, though slowly a smile grew on the youngest Tendo’s face. “I... thank you. I’m pretty sure I just need to try it to satiate my curiosity... it’ll probably be a one time thing.”

Ranma nodded. He stayed quiet for the rest of the ride home however. Once they got off the bus and were walking home he struck up an unrelated conversation, that left Akane confused about where things stood.

* * *

Akane was studying a few days later when there was a knock at the bedroom door, which was odd, seeing as how it was open. Turning to see who it was, Akane was greeted by Kasumi standing there with a small package in her hands.

“I must say that I’m curious what this might be,” Kasumi said. “We don’t get many deliveries from the Jusenkyo Catalogue Association.”

Akane blushed a bit. “Ah, well... with Ranma trying out being a girl some days lately, I... um, just thought it _might_ be educational to try the reverse?”

“Oh my. Does Ranma know?” Kasumi asked, staring down at the package a bit nervously.

“Yeah. He said he was okay with me trying it out, but didn’t seem to want to talk about it past that.”

Kasumi nodded. “Should we wait for him to get home then?”

Akane put her pencil down and stood up to take the package from Kasumi, trying to weigh the options either way. “You know what? No. Let’s see if he can tell it’s me when he gets home.”

Akane proceeded to open the package, revealing the small powder packet inside, along with an instruction booklet. Flipping through it, Akane was glad to see that the steps were simple enough: every 20g of powder could convert roughly 2L of water, a minimum of 1L was needed to cause someone to change, and a slew of other details that Akane wasn’t sure were important.

“Let me get changed into something a bit more androgynous first, then I can try it out,” Akane said to Kasumi.

The eldest Tendo sister seemed a bit nervous about the whole thing, but gave a simple nod and left Akane to get changed.

Switching over to a loose t-shirt and a pair of track pants, Akane then hurried down to the bathroom, where Kasumi had a large bucket of water prepared. Akane ripped the packet open and poured it in. The short haired girl couldn’t deny she was disappointed that nothing overly interesting happened when the mixture hit water (just a few bubbles).

Akane took a deep breath, lifted the bucket, and turned to Kasumi. “Well, here goes nothing.”

The water was cold. Colder than it had any right to be. And the sensation shot through Akane like the winter wind in the mountains. Or one of Nabiki’s glares. Shortly after a tingling sensation became overwhelming.

And then it stopped.

Akane blinked a moment, wondering if it had worked, before realising how much smaller Kasumi looked.

“Oh, that’s quite the growth spurt,” Akane muttered, looking down to take in the new form. That lasted a moment before the newly masculated teen remembered there was a mirror to look at. The face staring back was familiar, but a little longer and a touch more angular. The hair looked, maybe, a little darker, but it was hard to say. The clothes were sadly nowhere near long enough to fit right, and made further assessment tricky.

“I suppose we should get you some of daddy’s clothes, so you have something that fits,” Kasumi said, her tone as difficult to read as always.

“Uh... I’d prefer not to. His clothes are so dull,” Akane sighed.

“Hm... well, maybe some of Ranma’s clothing would work? He does tend to wear loose clothing, so they might work.”

Akane felt a blush flare up, but nodded. “That sounds nicer.”

Kasumi hurried off, leaving the changed teen standing awkwardly in the furo, in damp and ill fitting clothes. Deciding there was no point in keeping the sweater on, Akane pulled it off, and then turned towards the mirror once more, only to get a bit embarrassed about the bra clinging awkwardly to a now masculine chest.

“I forgot I was wearing that,” Akane grumbled while unbuckling the undergarment.

With it removed, Akane could now properly examine the resulting build. Lean, but toned, the young Tendo was flooded with a sense of pride at the overall look. Comb the hair a little differently and one could mistake the boy in the mirror for a model or maybe an actor... or maybe Akane was just getting a bit of an inflated opinion these looks.

Akane began to blush, flustered to have gone on an ego trip, when the door opened. Smiling, Akane turned to thank Kasumi for being so fast... only to have it be a fully nude Nabiki in the doorway.

“ _Hello_ there. Now that’s a nice sight.,” the brunette said. “Oh, but wasn’t my sister in here? Not that I’m complaining about a surprise sexy J-Pop idol.”

“Nabiki! Don’t just have a conversation with a strange guy while you’re naked! I could be a thief or something that broke in!” Akane protested. “And don’t call me sexy!”

Nabiki replied with a cold smirk. “I know it’s you, Akane. Kasumi told me, and I’d recognize your goofy face anywhere. I just thought I’d have a bit of fun.”

Akane stared as Nabiki casually strolled over to a washing stool.

“You have a weird definition of fun, you know that,” Akane grumbled.

Nabiki just shrugged. “I was planning to get a bath now anyway. Had a meeting with Kuno-chan, and he’s taken to wearing too much cologne lately. Or it might be aftershave? Either way it smells terrible and I need to get the scent off me.”

Akane deflated a bit before leaning against a wall. “You better not have been selling him any more of my pictures.”

“Nah, he wanted information on opponents in his upcoming tournament, don’t worry,” Nabiki replied as she scrubbed the lingering smell off herself.

To Akane’s relief, Kasumi at last joined them with a shirt and pair of pants from Ranma’s wardrobe. The freshly masculine Akane pulled the shirt on, before switching pants.

“Sticking to your cute polka dot panties are you?” Nabiki asked, her gaze unsettlingly smug.

Akane blushed again, while gathering the extra clothes from before. “They fit wel enough, and no one’s going to see... plus, borrowing _underwear_ from Ranma is a step too far.”

In a huff, the youngest Tendo stormed out of the furo, dropping the extra clothes off in the laundry hamper before heading towards the living room. Soun and Genma were in the hallway playing shogi as always while the young teen stomped past, muttering about Nabiki’s insensitivity.

“Who was that?” Akane heard Genma ask, apparently not bothering to get up from the shogi board.

“Couldn’t tell you, I just saw his back,” Soun replied.

That got a ‘huh’ out of Genma before Akane left ear shot, the young Tendo continuing towards the dojo. Nabiki was being annoying, and breaking cinder blocks was better than starting an argument.

* * *

Akane had spent about ten minutes working through cinder blocks before switching to katas. Dr. Sakamoto had suggested trying to vent anger in constructive ways, and breaking cement wasn’t exactly what one tended to call _constructive._ The katas on the other hand were probably a healthier vent. Akane was in the middle of a jumping high kick when the sound of the door opening led distraction and a slightly fumbled landing (landings had been hard anyway in this new form).

Akane was surprised by just how far forward the stumbling went, thanks to these new longer legs, and ended up plowing right into a slightly confused black haired Ranma who was standing at the door.

Ranma caught Akane, and the two found themselves staring awkwardly at one another.

“Er, I was-oh. Oh!,” Ranma began, before his eyes lit up with recognition and his cheeks went red with a blush. “You... uh, you don’t look half bad.”

Akane smiled as Ranma helped the taller boy back up. “I hope this isn’t too weird for you? I... it’s not as weird as I expected it to be, but having my whole body be so much longer _is_ a little disorienting.”

“Oh, yeah. The height change is always the worst part for me too,” Ranma replied, giving Akane a quick walk around. “Definitely got good reach on you now. Probably better to go for a more reactive fighting style to take advantage of that, rather than your usual chargin’ in close.”

“ _That’s_ your initial response? Fighting tactics?” Akane asked, trying not to laugh and... maybe half succeeding.

“It’s important stuff!” Ranma protested.

Akane give Ranma a genuine smile. “I just think it’s cute how you always focus to that. I like that genuine focus of yours.”

“C-cute? Listen here, if yer plannin’ on actin’ like _I’m_ the girl and you’re the guy in this situation, well... uh,” Ranma began to protest, before suddenly losing steam. “I... I don’t think I could do that full time.”

Akane blinked in surprise. “Wait, so you actually don’t mind me being like this?”

“Well... I know I _should_ , but... it’s confusin’. I mean, you’re _you_ still. But, it also kinda feels different? Is it... is it like that for you when I change?” Ranma asked, sliding the door shut to help keep evesdroppers at bay.

“A little? When you’re a girl, you just look so small and I feel like I’m supposed to protect you,” Akane admitted, before giving the other boy a quick once over. “I think that just has to do with height though, because I’m feeling it about you now and you’re in guy mode. Other than that, I think the issue is just being more comfortable around other girls... um, I guess that’s an odd thing for me to say right now.”

Ranma shrugged. “It makes sense, with the guys in yer life. I... maybe that’s part a why I’m kind of likin’ you like this? All the other gals around me kinda force me ta have my defenses up. But right now, I feel like I can relax with ya?”

There was a bit of a silence, before Akane began to laugh.

“Who’d have known that me using a bit of instant Nannichuan would see us start identifying the core issues of our relationship,” Akane said, seeing the confused and defensive look on Ranma’s face.

Ranma smiled up at Akane, stepping forward with a blush to grab the taller teen’s hand. “Considerin’ me turning into a guy started our problems, maybe it’s not that big a surprise.”

Akane blushed back. Just standing there with Ranma, holding his hand, with no one around to interrupt... Akane felt a desire to embrace the moment and slid a hand up onto Ranma’s cheek. The shorter boy looked up, his eyes showing a bit of confusion, before Akane slid forward. It was only once their lips touched that the rational part of Akane’s mind realised what was going on, and began to panic that _this_ was a step to far in this new masculine form... but Ranma seemed to be returning the kiss, to Akane’s surprise.

As the two parted from the simple, but emotionally charged kiss, Ranma turned bright red.

“I... I can’t believe... that was the first-and yer... and...” the pigtailed boy stuttered.

“S-sorry! We just actually had a moment alone, and... and I’ve hoped to kiss you for a while. I... I wasn’t thinking,” Akane apologized quickly.

“Woah! Hey! There’s no need ta apologise!” Ranma said, grabbing Akane’s other hand. “It just wasn’t how I expected it ta go.”

“That was honestly sweet enough I _almost_ feel guilty having spied on you,” Nabiki’s voice said flatly from somewhere behind Akane.

The two boys turned to find both her and Kasumi peeking out from a sliding door. Realising they’d been watched, the boys both blushed furiously. (Nabiki, of course, had a camera in hand, but the young lovers had been so caught up in the moment so as not to hear it click before.)

“It was quite sweet,” Kasumi added. “I’m sure you’ll appreciate having a photo to remember it by in future. Since that photo will go in my album and _will not_ be for sale. Asit was so sweet and personal.”

Nabiki grimaced. “Fiiine. I’ll be kind to little brother this once.”

“I’m your SISTER!” Akane shouted.

“We’ll see who wears the suit and who wears the dress at the wedding,” Nabiki replied, which led to Kasumi giggling a bit.

Akane’s mind was filled with the image of Ranma in a wedding dress, though it certainly wasn’t the first time that image had floated through Akane’s mind.

“I-I, uh, is dinner going to be ready soon?” Akane asked, trying to change the subject.

“Daddy decided we’re ordering pizza. Apparently one of the other city councillors was raving about the restaurant,” Kasumi explained. “It should be here any minute.”

Akane nodded, not sure how else to get out of how awkward this whole situation was.

* * *

Akane could only smile awkwardly as Soun and Genma processed what the youngest Tendo had done, both fathers are a complete loss for words. Well, smile awkwardly and eat pizza. Apparently being a guy made one hungry.

“It certainly makes nice symmetry with Ranma’s condition,” Kasumi offered.

That point seemed to distract both men as they realised their original protests would come up empty. Akane continued to eat nervously.

“And the idiots finally kissed,” Nabiki added, smirking as Akane and Ranma went red. “Clearly you were trying to put the two of them into the wrong roles.”

“I-it’s not like that!” Akane protested, after hastily swallowing a mouthful of pizza. “It’s just because we were having a heart to heart.”

Suddenly Soun began to nod. “You know, that’s not actually too bad. I figured I was gaining a son through the marriage either way, as long as the schools are united I suppose it doesn’t matter who the groom is.”

Akane and Ranma both stared at him with their mouths agape. He was suddenly taking this a little too well.

“That’s easy for you to say, Tendo,” Genma grumbled. “It’s not _your_ son being asked to take on the role of wife and mother.”

“Depending on how you look at it—“ Soun began.

“WHO’S talkin’ about KIDS at this stage?” Ranma shouted, the pigtailed boy looking ready to pop a vein in his forehead. “I’m _sixteen_! And Akane’s only been seventeen for, like, two months. Give us a chance ta enjoy bein’ young first!”

Both fathers were cowed by the surprising display of passion from the normally mellow boy.

“I... I suppose we can see where this goes,” Genma replied meekly. “Since there’s been some actual progress... we don’t need to be as worried anymore, do we Tendo-kun?”

“N-not at all, Saotome-kun,” Soun replied.

* * *

As the two teens walked to school Akane could tell Ranma wanted to say something. The topic seemed obvious to the short haired girl, and so Akane started it.

“I always wash up after my morning jog, so you should have expected me to change. But even without that... using the instant Jusenkyo is about exploring who I am. I’m not ready to bring that exploration to school.”

Ranma shrugged from his position beside Akane. “Alright, that makes sense. Do ya think ya might try it down the road?”

“Oh. Um, I don’t know? I don’t have a boys uniform, so I’d need to get one of those first.”

“Hey, I don’t have a boy’s uniform either, but that don’t bother me,” Ranma replied with a wide grin.

“Sure, but... wait! You _do_ have a girl’s uniform though. So how’s this for a deal: if you want me to go as a guy, you have to go as a girl in your uniform first?” Akane offered, smirking right back at Ranma.

“Fine, fine... will you be using more of the instant nannichuan soon?” Ranma asked, his tone guilty.

“Probably. Why?”

“Well... tomorrow’s a Sunday, an’... I was thinkin’ that, maybe, we could go and do a date? See what it’s like with you a guy and me a girl?”

“Already?” Akane asked, staring at the blushing boy in surprise.

Ranma nodded. “I mean, both boys seemed ta be goin’ well. Me the boy... gets a little rocky sometimes, and I’m sorry ‘bout that. And then both girls, that’s usually—“

* _Splash_ *

Ranma blinked while her hair dripped into her eyes. There was no way that old woman needed _that_ much water for cleaning her sidewalk.

“Well, it usually goes a bit better,” the redhead continued, deciding to just keep walking to school and ignore the change of forms as best she could.

Akane smiled. “I think I like it when I’m the taller one, whatever the reasoning.”

“So, that’s a yes?”

“Sure. Where did you want to go?” Akane asked.

“Ice skatin’?” Ranma offered.

“Ice skating? Really? I... you’re not doing that as a girl because of that ‘girls messing up isn’t as embarrassing’ angle, are you?” Akane asked, feeling a little annoyed. To think Ranma had seemed to be making progress.

“What? No? It’s ‘cause I’m shorter, so I don’t got as far ta fall. And I’ve got more cushionin’ too,” Ranma replied, with a rather unladylike smack of her bottom for emphasis.

Akane couldn’t help laughing. “You’re shameless.”

“You know it,” Ranma replied with a smirk.

* * *

Sunday was here, and it felt a bit strange to be the guy while a very female Ranma (wearing a skirt, amazingly) hung to Akane’s arm. Yet it also felt good in a way Akane wasn’t used to. (Though was very similar to how it had felt to hold Ranma when they were both male.)

The envious looks from other guys as they walked into the skating rink made Akane smile. Being seen as an impressive rival by men passing, rather than a prize to be won, was a pleasant change.

“So, I’ll handle the skates, I guess? Since we know your size, but not mine. While you can get food?,” Akane offered, looking down at Ranma.

“Sure. Probably shouldn’t flirt with the vendor boys since I’ve got a boyfriend now,” Ranma replied, pouting slightly. “Your going guy is going to inflate my food budget so much too.”

Akane felt flush. Being called ‘boyfriend’ was another novel sensation in this whole experiment in self discovery. Akane couldn’t tell if these feelings were better than playing the role of the girl, but they certainly seemed equal at least.

Right now was a date though. Akane could worry about deeper meanings later. With that, Akane left for the skate rental desk while Ranma hurried off to the concession stand.

“Hey, uh, could I get two pairs of skates? A women’s extra-small and... um, I’m not sure what size I would be?” Akane asked, feeling a bit awkward.

To Akane’s surprise (and slight dread), the short haired clerk who’d been facing the other way proved to be Akane’s classmate Shikako. “What shoe size do you take, sir?”

After recovering from what felt like a miniature heart attack, Akane gave an awkward smile. “Uh, 26.5cm, I think? Maybe a 27cm?”

“Oh, that should be a large then,” Shikako replied, a slight blush on her cheeks as she handed over two sets of skates. “It’ll be 730¥, and then 250¥ per hour after the first two.”

Akane was briefly struck by how dainty Ranma’s looked in comparison. “Right, sorry. Here you go.”

The money paid, Akane headed off to find Ranma, still nervous about the possibility of being recognized by Shikako.

The redhead was at a table near the concession stand, visibly annoyed by a group of guys seated on the table beside her. As Akane got closer, it became clear the guys were trying to flirt with Ranma, who was doing her best to ignore them as she ate some french fries. Akane felt a flare of jealousy.

“Leave her alone you idiots,” Akane said, once in casual conversation distance.

“You got a problem with us keeping this lovely lady company?” one of the guys asked.

“Seeing as how he’s my boyfriend, he probably does,” Ranma said, her tone cutesy and feminine, while her smile was shark-like in contrast.

Akane smiled smugly. “If you want to fight, we can take it outside, but I’d really rather not hurt any of you.”

“Smug jerk, I’ll—“ the one guy began, swinging a fist at Akane, who caught it without any effort.

The tall boy then began to slowly squeeze until the other guy’s face went pale. Flatly, Akane asked: “Are you done?”

The other three guys’ eyes filled with fear as Akane released the more aggressive one. The four then beat a hasty retreat as Akane sat down across from Ranma... who was smiling away and batting her eyelashes.

“You were waiting for that, weren’t you?” Akane asked.

“I wanted ta play the part of the girl who needs protectin’ for once. Is that so bad?” the redhead asked innocently.

Akane couldn’t help smirking. “Nah, I liked it. Kind of reminds me of that Kendo tournament... that outfit was pretty cute, now that I think about it. Do you still have it?”

“Nah. Had ta give it back ta the cheersquard after they found out I did a photo shoot fer Nabiki in it. ‘Inappopriate use of school property’ or whatever. Made good money on that one though,” Ranma replied casually, before starting on her hamburger.

“You almost make it sound like you did the shoot voluntarily,” Akane said, raising an eyebrow and starting on some french fries.

“Well, yeah? Eventually we agreed that I got ta keep the outfits I model in, and I get a cut of the profits after expenses... It’s a pretty good gig. Boy side photos don’t tend ta sell quite as well though, which I don’t get... I’m just as hot either way, ain’t I?” Ranma asked, between bites of her hamburger.

“I’m sure there’s other variables at play,” Akane offered.

“Maybe... so, we don’t gotta wait an hour after eatin’ before skatin’, right?”

“No? Why would we?”

Ranma shrugged. “Just checkin’. Well, time ta lace up, and face the cold hard world.”

Akane quickly finished the remaining burger before switching to skates as well. Both shoved their shoes into Akane’s backpack. It was then a short and awkward walk to the ice, where Ranma managed an impressive 60cm before falling on her rear.

Akane skated up and helped the small girl up. “Come on, you need to stand up properly.”

Ranma pouted, but relented, and Akane took both her small hands to help Ranma balance. The pair began to move slowly drift along the ice, Akane facing backwards, focused on helping Ranma balance. They were moving slowly enough that any other skaters could move around them, so Akane wasn’t checking where they were going too often.

Unfortunately there was someone on the ice who wasn’t a skater and the young couple slid right into him.

“Ah! I’m s-so—Ryoga?” Akane said, sliding to get off the fanged boy.

“Yes?” Ryoga offered, staring back at Akane, a hint of recognition in his otherwise deep and lonely eyes, but he didn’t seem to have placed the boy who had knocked him over.

“Oy, P-chan. What are you doin’ in the middle of a skatin’ rink?” Ranma asked, punching the boy in the arm.

“What? You mean this isn’t a glacier in Burundi?”

The other two just stared flatly at him. Akane might have worried every time Ryoga was away for more than a few weeks... but still had to admit the boy needed to learn the basics of ecology at some point.

“Huh. I guess that explains the roof,” Ryoga said, staring up for a moment. He then turned back to Ranma. “You know, you remind me of someone I know... but that person wouldn’t have a boyfriend. Well... unless Ukyo counts...”

Ryoga took a moment to look at Akane. Something about his careful gaze made Akane’s cheeks feel warm. “You don’t look like Ukyo though.”

“I’m not Ukyo,” Akane replied.

“It’s weird though, but looking at you again, you _really_ remind me of someone too,” Ryoga continued, a soft look of confusion on his face.

“Well, I’ll hope it’s Tendo Akane, because that’s who I am,” Akane said.

“Y-you’re really Akane?” Ryoga asked, which got him a nod from both of them. “Huh... You know, that might explain something.”

“Explain what?” Ranma asked, leaning what Akane felt was a little _too_ close to Ryoga’s face to be merely ‘friendly’.

It seemed Ryoga agreed it was too close, from the way he blushed and seemed to get lost in Ranma’s eyes. For a moment Akane thought the two looked ready to kiss and... for some reason that didn’t bother Akane. The normally jealous Tendo didn’t quite understand that feeling of acceptance, but couldn’t deny it. Ryoga looked so sad again, and it always broke Akane’s heart to see him like that (originally it had just been as P-chan, with those big eyes anyone would be a sucker for... but at some point that feeling of wanting him to be happy had taken hold for Ryoga’s human form just as strongly).

Ryoga, however, apparently had other ideas about where his happiness lay, and scrambled awkwardly back on the ice. “Nothing important!”

Akane stood up and turned to help Ranma to her feet. “Well, first thing’s first, let’s get you off the ice, Ryoga... Can you move on your own Ranma?”

The redhead grimaced. “I’m way too outta practice, sorry.”

Akane sighed. “Okay... Ryoga, can you stand up?”

The other lad slipped up a little, but made it onto his feet soon enough. “It’s easier to move on ice without skates, I’ll say that much.”

“That’s good. Ranma, grab his hand and we’ll lead him over to the benches,” Akane said.

Ranma nodded, and grabbed Ryoga’s hand, the three of them forming a slightly awkward caravan on their way to the edge of the rink. Ryoga slipped once or twice, but they managed to avoid another pile up.

The joy on the fanged boy’s face as he reached the stable footing off the rink caused Akane to smile. A quick glance revealed Ranma was looking rather happy about Ryoga’s innocent grin as well.

“So, did you need help getting somewhere?” Akane asked.

“Not really, no,” Ryoga replied meekly, studying the floor a bit. “I wasn’t going anywhere specific.”

There was a pause, as Ryoga looked at the pair of them, and seemed on the edge of saying something. His eyes were just so lonely again, Akane wanted to grab him into a hug... but with both of them male right now, he knew that might not go great.

Instead, Akane just watched as Ryoga gave an awkward wave and started heading off.

Heart filling with guilt, Akane turned to Ranma. “We can’t just let him wander off when he’s like this.”

Ranma shook her head. “Nope. You especially. That’s just horribly irresponsible pet ownership.”

Akane glared at her. “Can you _not_ word it like that... especially when he’s human?”

Ranma shrugged. “I mean, it’s that or get jealous of the amount a’ concern you’ve got for him. I saw the way you were lookin’ at him the whole time.”

“I wasn’t the one leaning on top of him with my lips hovering a centimetre from his back there,” Akane shot back defensively.

 _That_ got a blush out of the redhead. Ranma’s face fell, before she gave a nervous glance up to Akane. “S-sorry... I-I gotta behave better now that I know _why_ I liked flirtin’ with guys so much.”

“Apology accepted. Let’s return our skates and see if we can catch him,” Akane replied, getting off the ice and starting to untie his own skates.

Ranma wobbled after, and had her skates off in remarkably little time. The pair then hurried to the counter to return them, hoping to catch Ryoga before he vanished into the sea of humanity that was Tokyo.

It was only upon reaching the counter that Akane remembered Shikako was working there. With Ranma right there then Shikako was sure to put two and two together, right?

Shikako did look suspicious as the pair returned their shoes, though she said nothing. It was only as Ranma started to hurry off, and Akane turned to follow, that Akane felt a hand on his wrist.

“I don’t know what Saotome’s planning, sir... but I think you _should_ know he’s a guy and he’s always got an angle when he’s in girl mode,” the girl whispered, her tone filled with genuine concern as she blushed furiously.

“I... I know Ranma’s a guy. And there’s no angle, it’s just a date,” Akane explained quickly.

Shikako let go as her eyes shifted to Ranma’s retreating form. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to lose her train of thought before she managed to make the sentence.

Akane wasn’t really sure how to respond and simply hurried after Ranma. The pair quickly made their way to the street outside, and began hunting for the red of Ryoga’s umbrella. The crowd was proving nearly impenetrable however, and Ryoga was surely hidden by the many taller people in the street.

“I don’t wanna undermine the set up we got right now, but... I think we’d get a better view from the roof. Is it okay if I pick ya up?” Ranma asked?

“C-can you manage? I’m way tall-“ Akane began, only to be scooped up before he could finish.

Ranma gave a cocky smirk before bounding up along assorted architectural elements until they made it to a rooftop.

“You know... maybe you shouldn’t have done that in a skirt,” Akane said while standing up.

“Bleh, any underwear I wear will cover as much as a swimsuit, so I ain’t really super bothered,” Ranma replied casually. “Anyway, let’s look for your lost pet.”

Akane prepared to grumble once more about phrasing, only to catch sight of Ryoga’s umbrella and blurted out a rather incriminating word: “P-chan!”

Ranma followed Akane’s eyes as best she could (considering their differing perspectives) and soon caught sight of the bandana boy wandering a block or so to the north. Smiling, Ranma scooped Akane again, and began bounding towards him. (She honestly seemed to rather liked carrying Akane’s male form around like this, judging by the smirk on her face.)

A few moments later the pair came flying down to a landing... on Ryoga’s head.

“Ow,” Ryoga muttered, though his voice lacked any emotion.

“Ranma! We’re here to help him!” Akane protested while slipping out of Ranma’s arms to land lithely on the ground nearby.

“I’m just tryin’ ta lighten the mood,” Ranma grumbled as she hopped down as well. “Anyhoo, P-chan, we’re here ta... uh... what’s the plan again Akane?”

At that point Akane blushed. He’d not actually thought that through either. “Uh... when’s the last time you ate a proper meal?”

Ryoga’s face went blank for a moment as he tried to search his memory. “I suppose it depends on what counts as proper? I probably don’t get enough vegetables out on the road. But, otherwise... mostly been going on trail mix and beef jerky.”

“We’re going to find somewhere with smoothies to get you concentrated fruits and vegetables,” Akane said flatly.

“Ooh! There’s a great smoothie bar just down the road,” Ranma added, lighting up. “Konatsu and I go there all the time.”

The redhead grabbed the two boys by the wrists and hurried off down the street. The trio arrived at a brightly coloured little smoothie shop minutes later, with Akane and Ryoga both rather out of breath. Ranma, however, was beaming away.

“The prices are great. If we’re ever being lesbians again, we should totally have a girl date here,” she said to Akane. “All the pink and such... just perfect fer girl times.”

Akane’s brain froze up at the wording of that suggestion. Luckily Ranma didn’t seem to mind (or, quite possibly, enjoyed it) and had moved on to ordering Ryoga the largest size of one of the more nutritional smoothies. The loud whirring of the blender pulled Akane back to reality and the three made their way to a corner booth a couple moments later.

“So... what happened?” Ranma asked, showing her usual delicacy in these matter.

Ryoga blushed a bit and took a sip from his smoothie. “I... Akari wanted to celebrate my 17th birthday with something _memorable_. So... she bought some, well, some lingerie. And... uh...”

Ryoga’s blush worsened and he chose to grab more to drink, as if that could lessen his embarrassment.

“Wow... country girls move fast,” Ranma giggled.

Akane meanwhile, was blushing furiously. The idea of moving _that_ quickly was quite the concept. Curiosity was getting the better of the young Tendo though... well that, and maybe some new hormones. “And?”

“A-and... nothing,” Ryoga muttered.

“Well, hey, you brought it up,” Ranma replied flatly.

“No... that’s what happened. Nothing. I thought she looked pretty, but I just didn’t have any... spark? Whatever you’d call it. So I said I wasn’t feeling great, and she bought it... that time. But, well... after three times saying I had a headache she saw through my acting skills. She... in the end she was crying, and I didn’t know what to do. S-so I ran away,” Ryoga explained, his tone barely above a whisper.

“Oh,” was all Akane could manage at first. Then the boy remembered what Ryoga had said earlier. “You said that my being like this explained something... is that related?”

Ryoga’s cheeks went red as he began to study his now empty smoothie cup. “Well... Ranma’s a guy. And now you’re going team guy. So... maybe it means I’m gay.”

“Who said I was going team guy?” Akane asked, perhaps a little too loud as he realised a few patrons turned to look at him.

“Please. Akane, you splashed yourself again as soon as we got back from school yesterday and took a cold shower this morning,” Ranma replied, though Akane noticed Ranma’s cheeks were rather red for some reason.

“Just because I’m trying it out—” Akane began to protest, before he saw Ranma’s smirk. “What?”

“You’re nearly as giddy about the transformation as Konatsu was when she first got instant Nyannichuan,” Ranma explained.

Akane blushed at that. “I... I guess being gay explains why your weren’t ever leering at me then, right, P-chan?”

Ryoga nodded, which caused Ranma’s eye to twitch.

“Wait, you _knew_ Akane knew? But didn’t let me in on it?” Ranma asked, glaring at the fanged boy.

“She only told me once I was with Akari... er, should I say ‘he’ instead?” Ryoga asked, turning to Akane.

“I don’t know,” the young Tendo mumbled. “But... well, if you want to sleep somewhere with a roof over your head for the next while, we’ve got plenty of space.”

Ryoga gave a nervous, but hopeful, smile. He was just so adorably innocent sometimes. “Really? T-thank you! And, uh... sorry for interrupting your date.”

Ranma shrugged. “We can always go on another one.”

* * *

Once at the Tendos, Ryoga had insisted that he couldn’t sleep in Akane’s room if the young Tendo was really a guy and he was himself gay. While neither Akane nor Ranma had exactly understood that logic, they’d accepted it when Ryoga had insisted.

Ranma had then set off for a bath, while Akane had gotten to work on some kanji focused homework. Unfortunately the young Tendo’s mind was not concentrating on the school assigned problems.

No, right now everything kept coming back to Ryoga. There was the way Ranma looked at him for instance. Akane had always dismissed it as Ranma messing with Ryoga for fun, but they both now knew that Ranma wasn’t as straight as they’d previously believed... or as lesbian, depending on how Ranma was feeling that day (a complicated topic on it’s own).

Yet Akane couldn’t pretend that Ranma was the only one with confused feelings here. That, just maybe, that protective stance Akane had taken towards the little piglet had grown to cover the boy the piglet usually was. There’d been hints before, but as the old saying went, absence made Akane’s heart grow more fond of Ryoga.

What was someone to do if both parties in a relationship liked the same person?

A knocking at the window distracted Akane, and a few moments later a guilty looking male Ranma was sitting beside Akane on the bed.

“So, what’s wrong, Ranma?”

The shorter boy was quiet a moment, before letting out a sigh. “When Ryoga was saying why he thinks he’s gay... and he pretty well fessed up that he _did_ like me... it, uh, it made my heart kinda flutter. And I feel like a terrible girlfr-er, boy-uh... _partner_? Whatever I should go by... I shouldn’t have my heart fluttering over somebody else when I’m there beside ya.”

Akane put an arm around Ranma and pulled the shorter boy closer. “If you’re terrible, then I’m terrible. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us still thinking he’s cute... or anyone else for that matter. Just as long as we don’t act on it?”

“That makes sense,” Ranma replied, leaning against Akane. “Y’know... it’s nice havin’ you tall like this. Helps me feel safe ta talk about emotions, even in guy mode.”

Akane felt flush with emotions, thrilled to have Ranma opening up. Not sure what would make an acceptable thank you, Akane went for giving Ranma a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

Akane was surprised how awkward it felt being a girl again for school. Well, not just being female, but also constantly reaching for things that were just too high. Or not stepping quite high enough for stairs and almost tripping. It had only been a couple days, but being tall was, just, so nice.

Akane went to sit down and take a break from that, when Shikako and some of the other girls walked over to the short haired girl.

“A-Akane... I’m not sure how to say this,” Shikako mumbled. “I... I think Ranma’s cheating on you.”

Akane blinked, having not expected that. “Pardon?”

“And it’s not Shampoo or Ukyo,” Sayuri added. “Shikako and I both have part time jobs at the skating rink now. She was on the skate rental desk while I was working at the concession stand and... we both saw Ranma with a... a _guy_. And Ranma was in girl mode... he seemed like he was enjoying himself too.”

“Definitely. I mean, the boy he was with...” Shikako said as she began to blush, Sayuri joining in on the blush. “So dreamy.”

Akane felt a rapid crest of confusing emotions. Not being recognized was a relief. Being seen as handsome was nice, but it being Akane’s closest friends, and being seen as a mysterious dashing stranger by them... that was complicated.

“I... I know who Ranma was with,” Akane replied. “I approve completely. It’s just, uh, complicated?”

Akane hoped that would work. Admitting to close friends like Yuka, Sayuri, or Shikako, that switching to team boy was looking appealing was a step Akane wasn’t ready for just yet. It had only been a few days... Akane needed more time to think about these things.

“Ryoga was there too though, I remember that,” Shikako added. “I... you don’t think Ranma’s trying to have two boyfriends, do you? I mean, he’s got four girls chasing him... never does anything normally.”

Akane began to blush furiously. It was embarrassing to think that others could see the romantic confusion in the situation too. Even when they couldn’t identify Akane as Akane.

“I always thought he seemed to be flirty with Ryoga,” Yuka said, her tone soft as she seemed to be trying to keep from upsetting Akane.

* * *

Akane was back home, struggling with chemistry homework in the living room, when P-chan came up the young (and once more male) Tendo. Absently, Akane scooped the piglet up, and began scratching him behind the ear while still trying to work out a particularly difficult chemical reaction equation. Akane’s heart just wasn’t in it though.

“This stuff is annoying,” Akane grumbled to the piglet. “Trying to balance all the parts when the smaller molecules join up into something bigger. I think they’re just trying to give us all headaches.”

P-chan offered what seemed like an empathetic ‘bwee’.

A bit of movement caught both their eyes, and the pair turned to see Ranma in the hallway, his own homework in hand and a confused look on his face. “Hey, uh... could I get some help with this stuff?”

Akane shrugged. “I can try, but if it’s the chemistry stuff, I don’t quite get it either.”

Ranma flopped down at the table beside Akane, opening up his texts. “I think I actually kinda get the equation balancing bit? Ya just got ta doodle it out, so ya can see all the parts?”

Akane raised an eyebrow and leaned over to look at Ranma’s note. He’d given each element a different shape and colour, making the ratios pop easily. The colour scheme struck Akane. There was red of the oxygen, blue for carbon, and yellow for hydrogen, all coming together to form one molecule.

Akane blinked. “Ranma... what do you think of us trying a bit of a chemistry experiment?”

“What kinda chemistry?” Ranma asked, clearly not following the leap Akane had just made.

“Trying to build a bigger molecule. But with people instead of atoms,” Akane explained, pointing at the three element molecule on the paper.

Ranma looked more confused for a moment, but then his eyes glanced down to P-Chan. “Ohh... You think that could work?”

“You never know until you try,” Akane replied with a shrug as he stood up.

P-chan was apparently not following the conversation and seemed quite confused as to where he was being taken. Reaching the furo a few short moments later seemed to only increase his confusion as Akane placed him on the tiled floor.

“Ow, hot!” Ryoga yelped as Akane sprayed him with only hot water from the shower head.

The muscular boy hastily moved to protect his modesty with a bandana, blushing away.

“You’re so shy, P-chan... we’re all guys, there’s no need ta be coy,” Ranma said, crouching down beside him.

“We’re in the bath right now... either of you could end up not being a guy in a split second,” Ryoga replied, obviously flustered.

Akane took a seat on the stool nearby. “True, but it wouldn’t change... either way, we’re getting side tracked. Ryoga, you said you like both of us. And we got talking, and agreed we both like you, so: what if we all date?”

Ryoga stared at Akane a moment, before turning to Ranma. The look of confusion on his face was hard to read at first, but slowly it shifted to a look of pure joy.

“You’re both serious?” the fanged boy asked, a bit of doubt digging at him. When the others nodded he let out a sigh of relief. “This might just be the happiest moment of my life... if only I was wearing pants.”

“I’ll go get yer clothes. Then we can watch a movie or somethin’. I don’t think I can focus on homework when I’ve got two boyfriends ta cuddle,” Ranma declared, hurrying out of the furo.

The other two watched him leave for a moment, before Ryoga asked the question on both their minds.

“Was he _skipping_?”

Akane nodded. “I think so... You’re okay with Ranma sometimes being a girlfriend, right? That _might_ be what we’ve got tonight.”

“I mean, Ranma’s Ranma. So... I think so?” Ryoga replied. “And, uh... you’re you either way too... if you feel like having a feminine day again.”

Akane smiled. “Thanks. I can make no promises either way on that front... might still just be caught up in the moment.”

* * *

Ranma and Akane found themselves a bit flooded with homework the next couple days (spending half of Monday evening watching Jackie Chan movies while Ranma fluttered back and forth between cuddling with Akane or Ryoga might not have been the best way to spend their time).

That workload didn’t prevent them from spending time with Ryoga, though. In fact, he proved himself something of a natural at understanding textbooks, and was soon helping both of them with problems. He also relented, and agreed that he could share a room with either of them, though still felt more comfortable sleeping as P-chan on a pet bed Akane had bought him before.

Overall, though, Akane worried Ryoga was trying too hard to be helpful. As if he saw himself as a guest still.

Now that it was Thursday however, Akane and Ranma were going to have a chance to relax, and hopefully let Ryoga feel more comfortable. They’d had their chemistry test today, and there wasn’t anything else pressing.

It was only as they crossed over into the Tendo home that Akane remembered something.

“I can’t change today,” the currently female Tendo mumbled.

“Huh? Why not?” Ranma asked, slipping his shoes off.

“There’s only one packet left, and I wanted to use it for my appointment tomorrow.”

“Appointment? What kind of appointment?” Ryoga asked as he walked out from the kitchen.

Akane blushed, not certain if Ryoga would be as non-judgmental on the matter as Ranma had been. “I... I’m seeing a psychiatrist for my anger issues... and, well, I should probably add gender issues to my list of reasons.”

“Oh... that’s cool,” Ryoga said. “I... I’ve thought about going to one once or twice myself, but don’t think I could actually get to the appointments.”

“Well, we can probably help with that now,” Ranma replied confidently, poking Ryoga on the shoulder.

“I wouldn’t want to be trouble,” Ryoga mumbled.

“Ryoga, we’re a _thing_ ,” Ranma replied, looking offended. “Taking you to a counselor would be just as important as taking Akane.”

Akane nodded. “If you want, we can try seeing if we can sign you up tomorrow, while we’re there?”

“R-really? I... okay!” Ryoga replied, lighting up.

“I’m lucky to have two boyfriends who are so cute when they smile,” Ranma said, resting his chin on Ryoga’s shoulder.

Ryoga blushed furiously as Ranma stood up again. “I’m gonna run ta the store and grab some snacks though. Gotta be prepared for movie night tonight.”

“Who said we were doing movie night again?” Akane asked.

Ranma looked confused a moment. “Well, I was just thinkin’ that you wouldn’t want ta go out like that? And the super famicom’s only two player, so... movies seemed the best option fer a night in?”

“I... alright, yeah. That makes sense,” Akane admitted. “Beating each other up in the dojo isn’t really the most romantic option.”

Ryoga and Ranma both seemed to grow nervous at that suggestion, giving Akane a guilty glance or two while trying not to look at the short haired teen.

“Oh, come on, Ryoga. You’ve always been happy to try and beat the pulp out of Ranma in girl mode before, and he’s at least as much of a girl as I am, if not more... and that means you don’t get out of this either Ranma. You can’t ask to be seen as a girl, and then turn around and patronize me for when you see me as feminine,” Akane fumed. “You know what? We’re going to the dojo now. I refuse to be treated like a delicate flower whenever I’m in birth form.”

The other two mumbled in acquiescence and followed Akane to the dojo. When they made it, and Akane casually began to change into the gi the blue haired teen kept stored there, Ryoga yelped and spun around.

“Ryoga... you’ve seen me in underwear plenty of times,” Akane grumbled.

“And seen me completely undressed several times,” Ranma added, using a tone and body language that were both exceptionally feminine. “And my figure is so much better... a girl could get insulted.”

“What was that, Ranma?” Akane asked through gritted teeth.

“Hm? What’s wrong Akane? You’re not upset that your girlfriend is mentioning he has a better figure than you, are you? What a strange boyfriend I have,” Ranma replied with an innocent grin. “Or maybe you’re still getting used to your masculinity the same as Ryoga and I?”

Akane’s cheeks went hot with embarrassment. “I... I guess I am. Sorry... but we’re still sparring. No better way for us to get used to it than treating me as a guy in this mode too.”

Ranma nodded. “That’s fair... and P-chan, don’t worry. He’s dressed again.”

Ryoga turned around tentatively, before letting out a sigh of relief to see Ranma had told the truth. “I’ll be honest... I think I’d be reluctant to go all in against you when you’re in guy mode either, Akane. I know Ranma can, generally, handle my attacks. But most people aren’t that durable.”

“Well, we’ll just have to find out how durable I am then, won’t we?” Akane asked, feeling deeply competitive.

* * *

Dr. Sakamoto sat and stared at Akane for a good several seconds after the young Tendo had arrived. The young doctor then slowly looked down at her notebook, before returning to looking at Akane.

“So... what do we talk about first? That goofy grin you’re wearing? The black eye? Or the fact that you’re a guy? Assuming you _are_ Tendo Akane.”

Akane burst out into laughter for a moment. “S-sorry. I just wanted to surprise you today. A whole bunch happened. I, obviously, tried the instant Nannichuan, and like it... really liked it, to be honest. I don’t know if I’d want to go full time, but... I might? And then... I got a boyfriend!”

Dr. Sakamoto raised an eyebrow. “And what about Ranma?”

“Well... maybe it’s better to say ‘we’ got a boyfriend? Ryoga showed up again, and I realised I liked him. And Ranma’s liked him for a while... and he confessed to liking us both. So we’ve decided to try making, like... a romantic ‘molecule’?”

“Polyamory is a valid option,” the young doctor said while writing some quick notes.

“Poly-what?” Akane asked.

“Consensual non-monogamy,” the doctor replied. “What you’re trying. Well, what you’re trying is one form of it. Sometimes people make more of a chain or node, with not all partners being with one another... remember though, relationships are about communication. Twice as many partners means close to twice as much communication.”

Akane nodded. “W-we’re trying with that. That’s part of the black eye. I wanted them to be able to see me as a guy in my birth mode, and... well, I maybe got a little too competitive. Ranma and Ryoga are a bit better than me, and Ryoga thought I could dodge his punch a little better than I could.”

“Sparring can go that way... I remember Tofu got a pretty good shiner the first time he and I sparred,” the young doctor replied, a smirk on her face. “So, is being a guy the main focus of today? Or will we discuss the usual?”

“Hm... Well, it feels weird to tell a woman all about the things I don’t like about femininity? Well... maybe not things I dislike, but things that aren’t for me?” Akane said.

The doctor nodded. “Fair enough. I have some other trans male clients who are open to discussing the issue. And others who focus on other things... I might be able to help direct you to a youth support group though, if that interests you?”

“I’ll think about that. For now... um, I was wondering if I could just talk about high school stress in general? I’ve got some stuff that I want to get off my chest.”

Dr. Sakamoto gave a quick giggle, which confused Akane.

“S-sorry... but I was just thinking there’s a couple things you’ve already gotten off your chest. So you’re making good progress,” the blonde explained, glancing down at Akane.

Akane looked down, wondering what she was talking about, only to have the realization hit. “Riiight. _Those_.”

* * *

Akane and Ryoga were completely sucked into their game of Contra a little over a week later. They were about to reach the farthest they’d ever gotten, and wanted to see what the next level held. Ranma, sprawled out across both their laps and making sarcastic comments as he watched, was not helping, but the other too were too completely in the zone to care.

And then Nabiki walked in front of the TV, resulting in quick deaths for both of their characters.

“Oh come on, Nabiki! We were just about to beat that alien weirdo,” Akane complained.

“Yeah, well I’ve got a real life problem for you: the girls at school are _demanding_ the scoop on Ranma’s mysterious boyfriend. Especially when you were spotted on another date. While I might not be known for being honourable, I am known for only giving facts. So... either you let me spill the beans so Kasumi doesn’t get on my case, or you give me something else to give the girls, alright, _bro_?”

Akane glared at her. “I’m not ready to deal with that yet... I’d probably have to switch locker rooms... and I’m not comfortable changing with former Hentai Horde idiots.”

“Yeah, I figured. That’s why I’m offering you an alternative: pose for a few cute pictures with Ranma that I can sell. Otherwise the money I’m losing is going to start being enough to equal the price takeout for a month that I’d need to buy when Kasumi’s ticked, and it becomes rather less of a deterrent,” Nabiki replied flatly.

Akane sighed, but Ranma perked up and slipped his arms onto Akane’s shoulders while turning his head to face Nabiki.

“So, boy mode pictures? Or should I go girl for a couple too?” Ranma asked.

“Both and see what sells,” Nabiki explained. “Oh, and maybe include Piglet there in one or two of them.”

Ryoga looked to Akane for help, but got only a shrug. None of them could really stop Nabiki on the warpath.

Surprisingly, the photo shoot started quite nicely. Nabiki had turned part of the dojo into a small studio, with some props and a fair range of outfits. To start, it was the three boys in (surprisingly) well tailored suits with casual poses, and then a couple shots of just Ranma and Akane being a bit more romantic in body language. Then Ranma rushed off, to return in a forest green dress treading a dangerously thin line on the edge between tasteful and scandalous. The poses were effectively a repeat of before, though Akane ended up lifting Ranma off the floor in a couple of them this time.

The next shots were beachwear. Akane felt a bit uncomfortable in only swim trunks, but was mostly distracted by the amusingness of Ranma and Ryoga in them, a sight he knew he’d pretty well never get to see otherwise.

“Need the burst mode camera for this one,” Nabiki said, smirking away as she handed Ryoga a bucket. “I want you to splash Ranma on 3... 1... 2... 3!”

A moment later Ranma was looking a bit annoyed as she stood there in swim trunks. Ryoga meanwhile had spun the other way and was apologizing profusely.

“I just was scared to say no! S-sorry!” Ryoga yelped, refusing to turn around.

“It’s okay... I just was kind of gettin’ lost in the moment. Thinkin’ it be nice ta go ta the beach in either mode, depending how I felt,” Ranma explained, walking over to grab her bikini.

“Not so fast, Saotome. Want one or two shots of your boyfriend protecting your modesty first,” Nabiki explained.

Both teens on camera rolled their eyes, but relented. However, Akane’s cheeks began to grow flush as he found himself liking the idea of helping to defend Ranma’s modesty. Maybe it was a bit old fashion and stereotypical, but it felt like a very masculine thing to do.

Even if he was technically doing the reverse in this photo shoot, which caused Akane to silently beat himself up for while Ranma quickly changed to a surprisingly modest two piece (and Ryoga continued to study the wall).

A couple minutes later the swimsuits were done and Nabiki gained a truly shark-like grin.

“Last round: lingerie,” Nabiki said.

Akane stared at his sister a moment. “I... so just Ranma for this one?”

Nabiki rolled her eyes. “ _Men_ ’ _s_ lingerie is a thing, bro. We’re starting with both of you guys for this shoot. And I’ll help Ryoga look for hairline cracks in the wall while you two both get changed.”

Akane went pale while picking up the bit of blue silk material Nabiki had pointed to. What some of the strings did, Akane could not begin to guess. There was nothing to it but to strip however. Akane moved as quickly as possible with the changing, still feeling a bit guilty to be looking at _certain_ things, but as soon as the strange undergarment was on, he realised Ranma had been watching. Akane went bright red.

“Hey, you got a good view a’ both my forms the night we met. Now we’re even,” Ranma replied.

“Well, if you’re going to enjoy the show, then can you at least help me figure these strings out?” Akane blurted, feeling deeply defensive.

“Sure, sure,” Ranma replied, walking over and begin to help tie some loose ends.

The feeling of Ranma’s hands so close, as he tied up various strings, did not help Akane’s nerves in the least, and somehow the young Tendo began to blush more.

“I... I think you’re tying this too tight,” Akane complained.

“I ain’t the one makin’ it tight,” Ranma replied, biting his lip as he leaned closer. “Well, not _directly_ at least.”

“What does...” Akane began, before trailing off as what exactly that meant became clear. “I wonder if it’s possible to sprain your blushing ability, because I think I’m about to do that.”

“Hm, well, I do wonder if you might not be in any condition to tie strings for me,” Ranma said, before turning away. “Oh Ryo-chan, darling. Want to help one of your boyfriends out?”

Ryoga turned around awkwardly and hurried over, blushing nearly as badly as Akane. “I, uh, I’ll try.”

“Ooh, so rough,” Ranma gasped dramatically as Ryoga grabbed some strings.

(Akane blushed while trying to roll his eyes.)

“I, uh... so I think this...hm,” Ryoga muttered, bending down to get a closer look at the knots. “ _Oh_ , got it. That goes there. And... hm, looking at Akane’s, I’m not sure you did this quite right?”

“Seriously, Ryoga? That’s where you’re focusing right—you’re not blushing anymore,” Ranma said, his tone sounding rather annoyed at this turn of events.

“Well, I’m sorry, but this is a complicated knot,” Ryoga grumbled.

“If this is how you are with a guy in lingerie, I can only imagine how dull you must have been when Akari tried,” Ranma complained dramatically.

“I—” Ryoga began, seeming ready to argue. The sentence died in his throat however as Ryoga gave both Ranma and Akane quick once overs. “Oh no...”

“‘Oh no’ what, Ryoga?” Akane asked.

“It’s... it’s the same. There’s nothing,” Ryoga said, half whispering as he stood up.

“N-nothing?” Ranma asked, voice filling with panic. “I gotta spark somethin’... surely? I...”

“You both look _nice_ , but I don’t know what else I can say?” Ryoga offered.

Suddenly Ranma dashed for a bottle of water, upending it before spinning around and pouncing Ryoga.

With her legs wrapped about Ryoga’s torso, Ranma looked up with her best seductive eyes, laying the cute on heavily. “What about now, Ryo-chan?”

“I... I mean, it’s awkward, because you’re topless and I know I shouldn’t look as a gentleman, but... I d-don’t think there’s anything else,” Ryoga muttered.

Ranma stared for a moment. “I... but between my boy side and my girl side... one of me’s gotta do somethin’ for ya? Surely? I’m... I’m a hunk and a babe rolled inta one.”

Ryoga’s face once more looked at complete loss for a response, his eyes filling with that heart wrenching sorrow that so often filled them. With Ranma looking just as confused, Akane hurried over and pulled them both into a hug, glad Jusenkyo had given him arms long enough to properly reach around the both.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Akane stated firmly. “I mean, heck, we’re in high school. So it _really_ doesn’t matter any time soon. But even long term, we’ve got an emotional bond between the three of us, and that’s plenty.”

Ranma sighed, sounding a little annoyed. “Fine, but I like people thinking I’m gorgeous.”

Ryoga smiled, looking down at the redhead. “I never said I didn’t think you were good looking. Guy or girl you look amazing... and I know I could get lost in your eyes for hours.”

Ranma giggled. “You could get lost in a closet for hours.”

“Wait... in a closet... I need to go check something,” Akane blurted, breaking the hug and making a break for his room.

Zipping through the house, he barely noticed as he passed Nodoka, and was completely oblivious to the confused noises both her and Genma emitted. He was focused on finding a pamphlet he’d picked up at Dr. Sakamoto’s. Shoving some papers around on his desk, he quickly found the pamphlet and whisked it open to check it had the information he was after.

With that confirmed, Akane scrambled back down the stairs, headed to the dojo.

“What do you think you’re wearing young wom-er, young man!?” Soun’s voice shouted, though his tone sounded more panicked than aggressive.

Akane nearly fell over as he stumbled to a stop, turning to see his father being held by the gi by Genma.

“I, uh... it’s Nabiki’s fault. She’ll explain later!” Akane offered, before hurrying off back to the dojo.

He could only guess he’d run out of embarrassment for the day, since he arrived back at the dojo without even a hint of a blush. Ryoga was in the process of listing off things he liked about Ranma’s appearance as the redhead sat basking in the attention, when Akane returned. Nabiki, meanwhile was fussing with her cameras.

“I remembered something I read in this booklet,” Akane explained, slightly out of breath as he walked over to his partners. “The doc gave it to me to explain about different identities that exist and things. It was both for trying to understand where Ranma might be going, and help me come to terms with there being nothing wrong with staying with Ranma. But... there’s another one in here that I think might be you, Ryoga.”

With that, Akane handed the fanged boy the booklet.

“Ace-spectrum? Doesn’t... and... huh... so that’s really an option?” Ryoga asked, looking up at the others.

Akane shrugged. “I mean, it’s in the booklet. So... I’d guess, yeah?”

“Huh. We’re a full alphabet soup of those acronyms, ain’t we?” Ranma declared, grinning away.

“This is very touching and all,” Nabiki said, “but we _do_ have a photo shoot to finish. So let’s hurry up people. And get a thermos, Ranma.”

* * *

Akane couldn’t help grinning as he listened to the reaming Nodoka was giving Nabiki. He hadn’t even planned it, it was just honest to say the lingerie was her fault. Maybe Nodoka’s reasoning, that love between men shouldn’t be soft with silk and lace, was a bit questionable, but it seemed fair punishment for making him and Ryoga lose the better part of a day’s effort on Contra.

That game was hard. Especially when Ryoga kept trying to go left.

It was too late in the day to try again now, so the three were just aimlessly watching whatever anime came on. They’d ended up a bit of a pile, Ryoga on Akane’s lap, and Ranma slumped on top of him.

“You’re sure you can see?” Ryoga asked, trying to turn to ask Akane without increasing the area he was blocking.

“I’m fine. I’d say something if I couldn’t.”

Ryoga nodded and turned forward again.

On the screen, a short haired boy in a green gakuran was blasting monsters with some sort of magic hand laser... it wasn’t the _most_ romantic anime to watch, but it was decent brainless fun. In fact, Akane realised it was the same show he’d been watching when he’d started the argument with Ranma a couple months earlier.

Remembering how he’d missed Pchan, Akane reached around and squeezed Ryoga into a hug.

“It’s good to have you back,” he said absently, until a realization hit. “Oh man, but since you’re not gay... we _really_ should take you to apologise to Akari.”

Ryoga swallowed nervously. “I... let’s worry about that another time?”

“Summer vacation’s comin’ up soon,” Ranma mumbled. “We can go visit her and give an apology then.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 15K all at once is kind of stressful for me, so the 2nd half will be broken into 3 5K chunks.

**Chapter 2:**

Akane took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Ranma.”

The young Tendo looked a bit silly, in clothing sized for guy mode, that was now severely baggy on the once more (physically) female teen. At least the examination room in Dr. Tofu’s clinic provided some privacy.

“It’s _okay_ , Akane. The original promise was that I’d go as a girl first anyway,” the redhead replied, her eyes gentle. “So we’re just stickin’ to the plan.”

Akane gave a weak smile, feeling a bit better, not just from Ranma’s gentle expression, but the similarly caring look coming from the piglet in Ranma’s arms.

This was followed quickly by remembering just how surreal of a group the three of them were, and Akane burst out laughing.

“It’s hard to stay serious when one of your boyfriends is a pig,” Akane said, after getting the laughter under control. “No offence, Ryoga. You’re adorable. But it just makes life so surreal.”

P-chan let out and offended ‘bwee’ and did his best to pout, though his decision to look away from Akane left him with a faceful of boob as the curvy redhead holding him worked to slip off her backpack.

“I packed a change of clothes for ya, just in case,” Ranma explained, before realising how much P-chan was squirming. “What’s the matter wi-Oh!”

Ranma lifted the piglet away from her chest, and he began to gasp for air.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Ryouga.”

Akane couldn’t help smirking while changing clothes. That was definitely not an issue normal couples had to worry about. Of course, normal couples also didn’t tend to have three people in them either.

* * *

Between classes, Akane was surrounded by friends who kept making ‘subtle’ glances at Ranma.

“So, is he going full girl?” Yuka whispered sharply.

“What?” Akane asked, not quite following. It wasn’t like this was the first time Ranma had ever shown up to class in girl mode, even if she’d not dressed the part those times.

“Well, you know... with the boyfriend and everything,” Sayuri added, glancing over at Ranma again. “I don’t know how you’re able to handle it. Surely it’s grounds for breaking off the engagement if anything is?”

“Trust me, Ranma isn’t doing anything I don’t approve of,” Akane replied. The excuse was beginning to sound strained, but what was there to do? Confessing was terrifying.

“Is he just interested in guys when he’s in girl mode? Because... I think Hiroshi and Daisuke are flirting with him right now,” Makoto added.

Akane let out a tired sigh. “Ranma’s form doesn’t change things. And I’m not worried about those idiots.”

* * *

Ranma and Akane found themselves changing in the nurse’s office. Ranma had refused to change with the guys while a girl, but had been barred from changing with the girls by a few vocal complainers. Akane had chosen solidarity with Ranma.

Knocking at the door caused both teens to jump and slip behind a curtain.

“C-come in?” Ranma offered nervously.

Ukyo entered with a smile and a wave.

“Hey Ranchan. And Akane,” the chef said, closing the door behind herself. “One simple question: what in the world’s going on?”

The other two, letting the curtain drop, tilted their heads roughly in unison.

“It’s obvious you’re Ranma’s ‘new’ boyfriend, Akane,” Ukyo explained while crossing the floor and beginning to get changed. “I don’t know how anyone else doesn’t see it, but your face doesn’t change _that_ much.”

Akane blushed. “I...”

“I decided ta start trying to actually act like a girl sometimes, and... well, Akane thought it might be fun ta play at bein’ my boyfriend,” Ranma offered.

“Well, I thought it might be fun at first, but now... I... well, we both think I’m really a guy,” Akane added. “But telling my friends, who’ve known me as a girl since I was in elementary school... it’s scary.”

Ukyo nodded. “Yeah, whenever I meet up with friends from middle school, I make sure to do it as far from Furinkan as possible. I don’t like having to try to explain why someone from here woud say I’m a girl when my friends think I’m a guy... and I’ve not known any of those guys as long as you’ve known your friends.”

Akane paused, wondering for a moment if it might be easier to have someone else make the reveal and then do damage control, rather than ripping the bandaid off personally.

“Uh, wait... Ranchan, why is your backpack moving?” Ukyo asked, interrupting Akane’s train of thought.

“Oh, guess boyfriend #2 woke up from his nap,” Ranma replied, crouching down to open her backpack, now fully dressed in her gym uniform.

“Wait, are you going to let him out?” Ukyo asked.

“Yeah? Trust me, being stuck in a bag all day isn’t fun. One time pops wanted ta save on train tickets when we went up ta Hokkaido. I was so stiff,” Ranma replied, opening the pack and pulling out the drowsy piglet within.

“Is he ever going to start going to school properly?” Ukyo asked.

Ranma and Akane glanced at each other before looking down at the piglet.

“Whaddya say, Ryoga? Wanna try attendin’ as a student?” Ranma asked.

P-chan’s eyes went wide, before he scratched his chin. “Bwee?”

The other three all let out annoyed sighs. One of them would have to find a kettle to get an actual answer out of him... and they were running late for gym class!

* * *

The idea of letting someone else make the reveal had been distracting Akane all afternoon. Now, happily home and male once more, he had an idea on how to go about it. Taking a break from some homework he’d not really been working on, Akane went downstairs to share his idea.

It didn’t take long to find the two of them in the living room. Ryoga was studying a textbook, while Ranma was sprawled across his lap, lazily playing Zelda.

“What do you two say to Chinese food tonight? Specifically Neko Hanten food?” Akane offered.

The other two looked at each other briefly, before turning back towards Akane.

“You sure about goin’ in front of Shampoo like _that_?” Ranma asked.

“Definitely. It’s a good way to get the news out without Nabiki making a mint off it,” Akane replied.

“Wait... you want to have it leaked out?” Ryoga asked.

Akane nodded. “I think it’s less terrifying to have someone else break the news, then just focus on explaining.”

“Y’know that makes a lotta se-hmrph,” Ranma began, until Ryoga put his hand over her mouth.

“I, er, If I can be totally blunt: it’s a kind of bad idea,” Ryoga said, before making a confused face and pulling his hand away from Ranma’s mouth. “Did you lick me!?”

“You were coverin’ my mouth! That’s majorly rude... and kinda sexist,” Ranma fumed.

“Sexist? How on earth is it sexist?” Ryoga hissed back.

Ranma scrambled up to a sitting position, sliding close enough that her chest was brushing against Ryoga’s and her nose was mere millimetres from his own. “I think that should be obvious.”

“If you’re going to kiss, just kiss already,” Akane sighed as he sat down not far away.

The other two blushed furiously, Ranma starting to turn, seeming to have something to say to Akane. Only to freeze as a blushing Ryoga’s lips met her own. The redhead’s eyes widened with shock for a moment, though she returned the kiss after just a moment. As they broke apart, both teens were bright red.

“I, uh... that was an, uh, a-apology,” Ryoga stammered, while Ranma stared at him wide eyed. The fanged boy then turned to Akane, barely hindered by the blushing girl sitting in his lap. “And, uh... well, for your idea, Akane... it’s not going to help with having people trust you at school. Your old friends might forgive you, b-but... well some of the girls you’re not quite as close with might not be as understanding. At least if you tell them directly they don’t have time to come up with misunderstandings on their own.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Akane replied, half to himself.

“Well... I’ve given a lot of thought on confessing stuff. Er, maybe not for the best reasons, but—“ Ryoga found his explanation cut off as Akane kissed him.

As the taller boy broke the kiss and they sat a moment, just lost in each other’s eyes. “It worked out, that’s what counts, Ryoga.”

“I think this is there first time I’ve been disappointed you’re in guy mode, Akane,” Ranma said, prompting the other two to look down at the girl in Ryoga’s lap.

“What? Why?” Akane asked, feeling a little offended.

“Well, the view’d be a bit better,” Ranma said, poking Akane’s chest. “Not that this one’s bad, but the other option’s so nice and soft.”

Akane rolled his eyes. “Such a romantic.”

Ranma smiled, look every part the gremlin she was at times. “You two both love it...anyway, when do ya wanna try again fer the big reveal?”

Akane paused a moment, before remembering something. “Ryouga, you said you wanted to start attending school properly, right? Maybe I could do it the same day you show up. That way there’s a bit less focus on either of us?”

“Sure, that sounds good,” the fanged boy replied.

* * *

It turned out that Soun being a city councillor was rather useful for getting Ryoga’s spotty academic paperwork approved rather quickly. Or it was Nabiki’s doing. Either way, the three boys were headed to Furinkan, Akane and Ryoga both in gakuran (Ranma continued to resist following uniform regulations).

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Akane muttered under his breath as they crossed onto the school grounds.

Ranma and Ryoga both took one of his hands.

“It’ll be a weight off yer shoulders when it’s done,” Ranma said reassuring, before his eyes were drawn elsewhere. “Sorry, but I think I gotta go beat the snot outta Kuno. Won’t be a minute.”

Ranma hurried off with a quick wave, while Kuno gave a rambling declaration about Ranma’s supposed crimes. The fight was over moments after Ranma got within striking distance, and the pigtailed boy jogged back to his boyfriends with a cocky grin on his face.

“Barely even a mornin’ stretch these days,” Ranma announced.

The three then hurried off to class, not wanting to risk having Ryoga late for his first day of school. This proved especially tricky when the fanged boy managed to lose the other two for a couple minutes, finding his way to the gymnasium before Akane caught up to him again. The taller boy grabbed Ryoga’s hand firmly and led his straight to class.

They managed to arrive a couple moments before the bell, Ryoga going to wait at the front of the class, while a slightly frazzled Akane plunked down at his desk. In his stress of not wanting to be late, he managed to actually forget what form he was in, and was very confused to suddenly be surrounded by classmates.

There was a quiet moment as they all looked him over, before an avalanche of questions ensued. Akane found himself unable to keep up.

“Woah, could everyone slow down?”

The group collectively took a breath, most people look between one another in that moment. Then they all started up again in almost perfect unison. And _still_ , none of them seemed to clue in as to who he was.

Exasperated, Akane buried his face in his hands. He was, at best, a few seconds from screaming when he felt a couple arms wrap him into a firm and reassuring hug. Silence followed as he looked up and saw Ranma smiling gently.

The pigtailed boy then looked up at the crowd. “Yeesh, I come to school a girl and there’s some whispering. Akane comes ta school a guy and ya all go nuts.”

“A-Akane?” Sayuri asked, nudging her way forward.

The young man in question smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, uh... it’s me. I... well, you all know that Ranma’s a girl sometimes, and rather likes it. So... I wondered if I’d like being a boy sometimes. T-turns out I do. So, uh, that’s why I was approving of Ranma going out with the ‘mystery boy’ you were all so worried about. I’m him.”

Suddenly several of the boys in the crowd had emotional outbursts that reminded Akane of his father.

The bell rang, but that did nothing to distract the students still surrounding Akane.

“Are you going to be going guy full time then?” Yuka asked.

“I, uh... I think so? I’ve not tried it for more than a day or two straight, so... maybe I’ll still be a girl sometimes? I think the only way to know is to try and see?” Akane offered.

That seemed to cause a number of students to get lost in thought.

Hiroshi, looking a little embarrassed, stepped forward. “So, uh, does that mean you’ll be changing in the guys’ locker room?”

“I’m sticking to the nurse’s office with Ranma for now,” Akane replied flatly. He knew _someone_ was going to ask that one.

Glancing up, he noticed Ryoga was looking rather confused by the way no one was paying attention to him. Unfortunately for the fanged boy, Hinako-sensei was passed out at her desk, snoring away.

“Ranma,” Akane whispered, “I think our other boyfriend needs some support too.”

Ranma nodded, turning and bounding over to Ryoga’s side. “Also, everyone, look who it is! Our hunk of a new classmate, Hibiki Ryoga!”

Ryoga looked mortified at the introduction, until Ranma planted a kiss on his cheek and the shorter lad seemed to short circuit.

Confused eyes flipped back and forth between that kiss and Akane. Everyone seemed to want to ask questions again.

Akane stood up and walked over to Ryoga and Ranma, putting an arm around both of them. “To clear this up too... yes, we’re all a thing.”

That turned out to spark more questions than it answered. Akane half suspected his classmates just wanted to fill the period with anything other than school work though.

* * *

Ryoga had been told Dr. Sakamoto’s office was casual, but it was a bit different to actually be there. He rather liked it, personally. It was that sort of chaotic style his mother went for in decorating their home, more defined by not getting to the same store twice than anything.

“Sorry about being a little late,” the young doctor said as she strolled in.

Her hair was now red, rather than the blonde Akane had said it would be, but it didn’t surprise him too much. She seemed the type to dye her hair frequently.

“So, Hibiki-kun, how are you today?” she asked as she sat down.

“I’ve been doing pretty well, lately,” Ryoga replied. “With Akane and Ranma around, well, it’s hard to feel the same loneliness that usually gets to me... honestly, with Ranma it’s almost hard to get the alone time I _do_ want.”

“But you _do_ get it, right?”

Ryoga nodded. “Yeah, in the end. Ranma’s just... cuddly.”

“So, you consider your partners a good emotional support base?”

“Yeah. Not perfect, but we’re all human, so no one’s perfect... at least we’re normally all human,” Ryoga felt very strange confessing that last bit.

“I have to admit, you’re the first client I’ve had who’s turned into an animal, so... I can only vaguely imagine what sort of a psychological tole that might take.”

Ryoga shrugged. “I think it just amplifies existing issues. Being so small and fragile... and having people see you as food... it just feeds into feelings of isolation and that other people don’t care.”

“You’ve thought about this quite a bit, haven’t you?” the young doctor asked.

“When you spend a lot of time on your own, there’s not much else to do but think.”

Dr. Sakamoto nodded, before grabbing a piece of paper off her clipboard. She paused a moment, seeming to debate what to do with it. “So, are you okay filling out a small questionnaire on sexuality? It’s just, I’ve had plenty of trans, gay, or bi clients, but, well, not so much for asexual clients. And, I hope to be able to provide the best care I can for all clients.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

“Good, good... though, I do want to warn you some of the questions get a little _intimate_. I realised after writing out what I wanted to ask that some of the questions were annoyingly familiar to things I’ve had to deal with, so... that’s why it’s written. Makes it easier to just skip anything you don’t want to deal with.”

Ryoga tentatively took the clipboard and pen provided, before starting to read the questions. As he went on, he felt his cheeks growing ever hotter.

“Oh my,” he muttered.

* * *

“Now, normally I’d discuss the option of prescribing antidepressants at this stage,” Dr. Sakamoto explained. “However, with you being a minor who can’t easily contact his parents... I’m not entirely sure how best to progress here. Do you think you could talk with Akane’s father about it? He _might_ be able to count as a guardian? I want to give you the best treatment possible, but legality is rather important to keeping my licence.”

“I-I’ll talk to uncle Soun,” Ryoga replied, a bit nervous about the prospecting of medicating. “Do you... do you really think I need them?”

“My clients generally respond best when combining talk therapy with medication. It’s your choice though.”

Ryoga felt himself zoning out a bit. If he was really being offered medication, then... then it was really something neurological. He hadn’t just been beating himself up. Ryoga felt his spirits rising, truly taking in his surroundings.

That’s when he picked up something interesting on the chi energies of the young doctor across from him.

“Oh! Congratulations!”

The woman stared at him, visibly confused.

“I, uh, about the baby. I... I just noticed the chi patterns. I’ve been trying to get better at reading those,” Ryoga explained, feeling a little self conscious.

“You... I’m...” the doctor muttered, before glancing down briefly. “You’re sure?”

“Y-you didn’t know? Oh, I... I’m pretty sure? It would probably be good to test it conventionally?” Ryoga offered, worrying that he’d brought bad news.

Luckily, the young doctor lit up. “I am definitely making a stop at the pharmacy on the way home.”

* * *

Akane felt a sense of relief as Ryoga emerged from his appointment . While he’d found them helpful himself, he hadn’t been sure if things would go as well for Ryoga or not.

Akane also quite enjoyed Ryoga’s soft boyish grin for a more general aesthetics standpoint. The boy was so handsome when he smiled.

“Had a good appointment?” Ranma asked, taking a brief break from her ice cream cone.

“Mhm. Some of it was a little embarrassing, but it was good over all. And I got to help the doc out with something too... probably,” Ryoga replied.

“Oh?” Akane asked.

“Mhm. Sensed in her chi that she’s pregnant. Apparently pretty early too, since she didn’t know. Apparently my practicing has been worth it,” Ryoga explained.

Ranma blinked, seeming to forget about her ice cream entirely. “Y-you can do that? Woah.”

“Well, we know for certain once she does a more normal test,” Ryoga replied, apparently flustered to have truly impressed Ranma.

“H-how early could ya manage it?” Ranma asked.

Ryoga shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Ranma replied, growing visibly lost in thought.

“You okay, Ranma?” Akane asked, placing a hand on the small redhead’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah. It’s just... fer some reason that just hammered home that, down the road, it’s g-gonna be me who’s probably gonna be the one gettin’ pregnant. I... I think I’d want ta know as soon as possible, considerin’ the way my body works an’ all,” Ranma replied.

Akane felt a surge of confused emotions that likely mirrored Ranma’s own. It hadn’t quite sunk in to him before that he was likely to end up a father, and not a mother, now. The young Tendo did _not_ know how he felt about that.

“L-let’s worry about who’s going to carry any kids down the line. Like you said before, let’s just be teenagers first,” Akane replied.

Ranma nodded, before a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Y’know, that’s true. It’s years off. Fer all we know, by that point, it’s Ryoga who’ll be the girl of the group.”

“W-wait, what?” Ryoga blurted, looking to Akane for supporter.

The taller boy shrugged. “It’s fair. Who knows what the future holds.”

“I... I don’t think it’s _that_ ,” Ryoga stammered, while his partners both took one of his hands, leading him out (and, presumably, towards the bus stop).

* * *

Akane found his father and Genma locked in a game of ‘shogi’. He walked over and sat down, patiently waiting for the two men to finish up their deception and slight of hand filled version of the game. Neither man seemed overly happy with the idea of having an audience though, apparently there were secrets not meant to be observed.

“I, so... Akane... what did you want?” Soun asked, locked in a standoff with Genma.

“I was wondering: did you have a named picked out for me, if I’d been born a boy?”

“Oh, well—I,” Soun began, when suddenly the three of them realised the entire rest of the household had somehow heard the question and were, not so subtly, listening in. “W-well... by that point I’d had two daughters, and Genma said Ranma was going to be a boy, so... I was going to name you after my best friend.”

“Meaning?” Nabiki asked, as she and the others leaned in.

“M-meaning... Genma,” Soun said.

Ranma and Akane’s faces both slipped into expressions of pure horror. For a moment Akane worried he was going to go into shock.

“I’m going to call Shampoo. See if she has any formula 411 left over,” Nabiki said, after giving the two boys a quick once over.

“N-no... I think I’ll suppress this memory the old fashioned way,” Ranma muttered. “I’ve got experience doing that.”

“Well, I think Akahiko would work nicely,” Nodoka added softly. “If you don’t think so, I’ve been trying to come up with other options that might work. I do hope you don’t find it presumptuous.”

“Oh, that does sound nice,” the youngest Tendo replied. He turned to his partners. “What do you two think?”

“Sounds nice enough,” Ryoga replied. “It’s your choice though. Whatever name you pick, I’ll still... you know... think you’re handsome.”

“Akahiko,” Ranma said, his voice going soft as a blush spread across his face. “It-it ain’t half bad...”

* * *

“Akahiko,” Yuka said, testing the syllables out as she, Sayuri, and the boy in question sat around a lunch table. “It might take a little bit to get used to, but it feels natural.”

Sayuri, on the other hand, was sitting quietly, only glancing up at Akahiko occasionally, before dropping her eyes, or looking elsewhere. She’d been like that every day he’d shown up in male form, and the young Tendo was beginning to grow concerned.

“S-sorry if this is all making you uncomfortable, Sayuri,” the blue haired boy said.

Sayuri blushed. “It’s not that.”

Yuka smirked, and elbowed Sayuri softly. “This dork’s just dealing with an old crush flaring up again.”

“Really? Who?” Akahiko asked.

The two girls stared at him, Sayuri’s blush fading to incredulity.

“ _You_ , Aka-hiko,” Yuka replied, speaking slowly enough to catch herself before a mistake was made.

The boy blinked. “R-really? B-but you said an old crush?”

“Before you started growing your hair out in year 7... I was constantly wondering if you were somehow a boy. If there’d been a filing error or something to make everyone act like you were a girl,” Sayuri half mumbled, keeping her eyes fixed on her omelette roll.

“Really? I... if I’m going to be totally honest, there were probably days I would have agreed with you back then. But Kasumi said I was a girl, and I believed her,” Akahiko replied.

Sayuri smiled. “Well, it seems we were both right.You’re definitely a guy now... And that Jusenkyo magic has done a very nice job of it.”

Yuka seemed to grow lost in thought. “I bet it would work nicely on Nabiki too... I’d buy those photos.”

It was Yuka’s turn to be stared at.

“Why on earth would you want those?” Akahiko asked.

The brunette blushed a bit. “I like cold and aloof boys, okay? And there’s not really any good ones at Furinkan.”

Sayuri rolled her eyes. “It’s true. You can always figure out who she’ll go for in a dating game in about 15 seconds.”

Akahiko was preparing a reply when he found himself glomped by a curvaceous redhead.

“Can I eat lunch with you, handsome? My _other_ boyfriend is refusing to be a gentleman and won’t share any of his lunch,” Ranma said, fixing impressive puppy eyes on her tall fiance.

“I’m not sharing any because you ate my whole lunch yesterday!” Ryoga shouted from across the classroom.

“I, uh,” Akahiko stammered. “D-don’t you have your own lunch?”

Ranma rolled her eyes. “I ate _that_ already. I’m still peckish.”

“Sometimes I have to wonder where all that food goes,” Akahiko replied, trying to protect his lunch from the girl in his lap.

“My boobs, duh,” Ranma replied. “You like the view, so ya should give me food ta help maintain ‘em.”

Akahiko went for the one defense he had, lifting the bento box above his head, where Ranma had no chance of reaching it. The short girl pouted, hoping to break her fiance’s resolve with cuteness. When that failed, she sighed and turned to Yuka and Sayuri.

“Isn’t he mean? Boys are just the worst sometimes.”

The other two girls burst into a fit of giggles that seemed to make up for only having one lunch, if Ranma’s smile was anything to go by.

* * *

“She wants what?” Nabiki asked, dropping her rice cracker as she stared at her... brother?

“Pictures of you in boy mode. I... apparently most of the girls in my class have a sudden interest in seeing either you or Kasumi as guys. Not really sure why, but it feels poetic to have your photos be in demand for a change,” Akahiko replied, a smirk on his face.

The smirk vanished as soon as he saw the gears turning in Nabiki’s eyes.

“Well,” Nabiki began, before glancing down at his lap for a moment. “You pics were _big_ sellers. Might be worth the investment.”

The youngest Tendo blushed furiously, pulling a zabudon over his lap. “D-don’t look at your own sis-bro-uh, sibling, like that! And... I don’t think I’m _that_ big anyway.”

“Ooh, should we be calling Ryo ‘P-sama’ instead?” Nabiki asked, smirking to herself.

“What? Why?” Akahiko asked, completely lost.

Nabiki buried her face in her hands. “Sometimes I wonder how we’re related.”

The blue haired boy stared at his sister for a moment, not feeling any closer to the truth. “Yeah... well, I’ve got homework to do, but... there’s a Nannichuan powder to spare.”

* * *

With it being a July night in Tokyo, the heat was pretty ferocious, and Akahiko decided he was going to enjoy one of the definite advantages of his birth form: the lower natural body temperature.

It felt weird to be so much shorter again, but it definitely cut the summer heat enough to be worth it. Stretching a bit on the engawa, the blue haired teen took in the warm night air. It was nearly time to head to bed, but he was feeling just a little peckish.

Akahiko headed toward the kitchen, hoping for something easy to make. Or leftovers.

He found himself distracted by the light coming from the dojo however, and decided to investigate. (Were Ranma and Ryoga running through some late night sparring?)

Strolling over and sliding the door open, he couldn’t help laughing a bit at the sight of a male formed Nabiki trying to work out self portrait camera angles.

“You can’t turn down money, can you, sis?” the (currently female) Akahiko asked.

Nabiki, to her brother’s complete surprise, actually looked a tiny bit embarrassed at that. “Well... if I’m being honest, having all the guys at school be terrified of me has led to a rather boring love life. So, since there’s not too many totally open lesbians at school, I thought this might be a good chance to get some dating options.”

Akahiko couldn’t help smiling a little. “I knew the romantic Nabiki was still somewhere in there. Good to see you again.”

The (currently male) Nabiki let out a sigh. “I get it. I retreated a bit... I saw an opportunity to make some quick cash at Ranma’s expense, and tried to squash all my emotions to cover up the guilt I felt. Along with maybe a little envy that Ranma chose you... not that I want to take them from you now.”

To Nabiki’s surprise, she found herself pulled into a hug by her younger sibling.

“Was not expecting that confessing I once had the hots for your girlfriend to end in a hug,” Nabiki replied.

“Remembering you have emotions is what got you this hug,” Akahiko replied, as he stepped back. “Weird to do it when I’m in girl mode and you’re in boy mode though.”

“Why _are_ you in girl mode anyway?”

Akahiko shrugged as he headed back towards the door. “I was planning to go to bed and realised it was too hot as a guy... you’ve noticed the heat’s grosser male, right?”

After a moment, Nabiki shrugged. “I’m wearing a bit less clothing that usually, so it’s hard to tell.”

“Fair... well, I’m off to bed,” the younger Tendo replied, stepping outside. He paused a moment as he realised it was starting to rain. Then something unexpected happened. “Uhhh...”

“Y-you changed!” Nabiki blurted.


	3. Chapter 3

Two very damp Tendos stood outside the Neko Hanten, wishing the rain would stop as they knocked on the door.

“Coming, coming,” Cologne’s raspy voice called out from somewhere within.

A few seconds later the old woman’s face appeared as she cracked open the door. “What’s so important that you rushed over in the rain after closing to bother me?”

“Can we discuss this inside? I’d like to get out of the rain sooner than later,” Nabiki replied.

“Fine, fine,” Cologne sighed, sliding the door open and letting the pair in. “Hm, so... are we going to end up with three Tendo brothers now?”

Nabiki glared at the old woman. “It’s a one time thing to make some quick cash. Well, I hope it’s a one time thing.”

“You hope?” Cologne asked.

“I changed without any powder,” Akahiko replied.

“And?” Cologne asked, sounding rather annoyed.

“And? And what? Does this mean I have a permanent curse now?” Akahiko countered.

“Did you not read the warning section on the information pamphlet?” Cologne asked.

“I read, like, half of it? It was just a bunch of discussion about Jusenkyo not taking responsibility for actions while under the effect of curses, possibilities of neutering in the case of animal curses, and so on?” Akahiko replied. “I didn’t see anything that looked important.”

“It was? I... Shampoo! Bring me a Jusenkyo information packet!” the old woman called out.

A surprisingly short time later, the bubbly girl appeared, pamphlet in hand as she skipped over to Cologne’s side.

“Here you go, great grandmother,” she announced as she handed it over. She then took a moment to look over the pair of cursed teens before her. “One if you is Akane, yes? Which one? And who is other one?”

Akahiko blushed a little. “Um, I’m Akane... though I’m going with Akahiko now, since Akane’s not a very masculine name.”

“I’m Nabiki,” the other Tendo sibling replied.

Shampoo was about to say something more, when Cologne cut her off.

“Whoever formatted the Japanese version of these warning labels deserves to be fired. The Chinese portion starts flat and simple with the warning that frequent use can cause an uncursed individual to become cursed, yet the Japanese one puts that near the end, and words it very poorly,” Cologne said, not quite looking up from her reading.

“S-so, there’s no chance I’ve got a full curse after one use?” Nabiki asked.

“No, no,” Cologne replied. “Well, basically no. Magic is tempermental sometimes, but... it’s probably as likely as getting struck by lightning.”

Nabiki let out a sigh of relief. “Could I get a kettle then? We rushed over here, and I was kind of worried to find out the hard way if I had gotten a curse myself with the rain.”

“Shampoo not sure. Boy version of Nabiki looks better,” the blue haired girl replied.

Nabiki glared back. “I think I have a packet in my pocket still, maybe we should see if you’d look better too then?”

Shampoo paled a little. “Getting kettle!”

“Ah, so it’s not for you?” Cologne asked as her great granddaughter ran off to the kitchen.

“Not at all. Everything feels wrong,” Nabiki replied.

“At least you know the cause, though,” Akahiko said.

“Being a girl was this bad for you?” Nabiki asked, squirming a little as she stood there in male form.

“Maybe? The feeling had always been there, so I got used to it and just thought it was normal for someone to see their body the way I did... but with how much you’re squirming, you seem to be handling it rather poorly,” the younger Tendo explained, placing a reassuring hand on his sister’s shoulder.

“Well, even if it was half as bad as this... sorry for always teasing you into buying more revealing swimsuits and everything else,” Nabiki replied.

It was another minute or so before the kettle was ready. The genuine smile on Nabiki’s face when she returned to normal warmed Akahiko’s heart though. It may have been through odd circumstances, but the ice queen was thawing out again, and he hoped to have his old sister back again.

* * *

School was finally out, and the trio were loading onto a train up towards Akita prefecture to have Ryoga give his apology to Akari. They’d have gone earlier, but Ranma had barely passed last year, and was worried about having to repeat if he continued his usual casual stance on school.

The Tohoku Shinkansen got them most of the way there, but once in Morioka they had to find their way to a bus station to get closer to Akari’s farm. The bus stop was still a good forty minute walk from Akari’s farm, but they all agreed walking was a good way to stretch out their legs after spending the bulk of the day on trains and buses.

And then it began raining.

“Heh, y’know, we coulda saved a bunch of cash if we’d been two people and a pet, I bet,” Ranma said, laughing as she scooped up P-chan and put him on her shoulder.

“I’m not sure you’re allowed to transport pigs on a bullet train,” Akahiko replied.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Ranma replied, fiddling self consciously with her pigtail. “At least it makes it easier to keep an eye on Ryoga, was worried he was goin’ to try running away.”

The black piglet gave an offended bwee in reply.

“Nah, I agree with her. You were starting to drift a bit, Ryoga,” Akahiko added.

The piglet of a lad pouted, but had no defenses to go with.

The rest of the walk up to the farm was quiet enough, the rain thankfully letting up after only a few minutes. The gentle rocking of being carried led to P-chan falling asleep, something cute enough to help the trip go faster for Akahiko.

“Should we try the house first or the pig sties?” Ranma asked, after prodding the piglet on her shoulder back awake once they were on the Unryuu grounds.

The small piglet shrugged, causing Ranma to sigh.

“Why did I think that asking _you_ for directions would be a good idea?” the redhead muttered.

“Well, let’s split up. Ryoga needs some hot water anyway, so you two try the house and I’ll try the pig sties?” Akahiko asked, trying not to smile too much about the idea.

“Yeah, sounds good. Just, if ya don’t find anyone, try not to spend _too_ long cooing over the little piggies. One of your boyfriends might get jealous,” Ranma teased, making both P-chan and Akahiko embarrassed.

“I’ll try,” Akahiko muttered as he headed off towards the barn area.

After a bit of exploring, the young Tendo did not find any people. However, he _did_ find a whole litter of kurobuta piglets.

“Daw. Aren’t you just the cutest little things, with those little white noses. Yes you are,” Akahiko said, leaning over the railing, but not close enough to disturb the mother. “Just a bunch of handsome Berkshires, aren’t you? And you’re going to grow up big and str—”

Akahiko realised someone was watching him, and turned to find Akari standing there. He was embarrassed enough not to realise the way the girl was blushing at first. He couldn’t help but get a bit distracted by that once he _did_ register it, however.

“H-hello there! I’m Unryuu Akari,” the girl blurted. “It’s g-good to meet you!”

“Ah, well, it’s not actually the first time we’ve met,” Akahiko tried to explain.

“I-it isn’t? I... I’m sure I’d remember such a handsome boy with a love of pigs,” Akari said, mostly to herself, before her eyes went wide as she realised she’d said it aloud.

“Don’t worry, I looked rather different the last time we met,” Akahiko said, hoping the flustered girl might stay quiet long enough for him to explain.

“Katsunishiki!” Akari exclaimed, causing the large pig to appear and charge a very confused Tendo.

Akahiko braced himself. He’d been training with Ranma and Ryoga quite a bit (and had bulked up quite nicely in the last couple months as a result in his opinion), so hoped he could handle the charging pig. To his relief, his improvised attempt at lifting grab worked on the massive pig, and he managed to throw off it’s inertia to the point it was all but disarmed, it’s back hooves not strong enough to let it throw its weight around. Yet the pig continued to squirm.

“Woah, calm down there Katsunishiki,” Akahiko said as softly as he could. “I don’t want to see a noble pig like you getting hurt.”

“It’s okay, Katsunishiki. He’s won, you can stop,” Akari added, causing the pig to calm down.

Akahiko put it down, and the pig backed up, though hovered nearby, no doubt hoping to guard Akari. The brunette however was walking towards Akahiko with her eyes sparkling. The tall boy wasn’t quite sure how to respond, when she took his hand.

“I... I’m so glad you won. Granddad’s standards are so high... please, take this!” the girl said, producing an envelope with a large pink heart on it.

“Wait, is... is this a love letter?” Akahiko replied.

Akari nodded shyly, her eyes filled with hope that Akahiko couldn’t bear to think about extinguishing.

“I... l-let’s go to your house. I came here with some, um, friends who should be there. We’ve got, well, a lot to explain,” Akahiko tried.

Akari nodded again, though this time with enthusiasm. “I’d love to meet them. I’m sure you have excellent taste in friends.”

Akahiko walked with her down to the Unryuu farm, gently petting Katsunishiki when the pig brushed up against him. He wondered if the pig had worked out who he was from smell at this point, or was just trusting him because Akari was trusting him.

As the pair entered, they heard voices from the kitchen. Voices that were easy to recognise.

“Ryoga?” Akari said, her voice sounding like her heart had just broken as she turned to Akahiko. “Hibiki Ryoga is your friend?”

“Ranma and I brought him here to explain things,” Akahiko replied, trying not to feel too much of Akari’s pain... and failing miserably, not able to look away from those big sad eyes.

Akari’s face fell. “I don’t want to hear it. I... I can’t take him rejecting me again.”

“It should be him to say it, but I can tell you that he wasn’t rejecting you,” Akahiko said, placing his hands on the girl’s shoulders and leaning down a bit to be at eye level.

Akari looked up again, their eyes locking for a moment. Then Akari seemed to try taking in Akahiko’s face again. He could only guess she was trying to remember him. He was sure he needed to explain sooner than later, opening his mouth to start, when he realised they were being watched.

“I, uh, I see you’ve found Akari,” a woman who Akahiko recognised as Akari’s mother said. “And, my... you did turn out handsome, didn’t you Akane? I... I mean Akahiko, I’m sorry.”

Both teens blushed. Akahiko realising how his pose could be easily read as one ready to kiss someone (which was leading to some very raised eyebrows from Ranma).

Akari’s mind was on a different issue though. “A-Akane? I... I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have flirted when you have Ranma already!”

“Picking up another girlfriend are you, Akahiko?” Ranma asked, eyebrows raised in a way that left the boy in question unsure if she was joking or not.

“I... um... Ryoga, help?” Akahiko said, backing away from Akari.

The fanged boy shrugged. “I’m not good at this stuff. That’s the whole reason we’re here.”

“Yes, well, Akari, I do think you should hear Ryoga’s story out,” Akari’s mother said. “I’ll get some refreshments if you all want to head into the living room?”

“Alright, I suppose. I mean, Ranma and Aka-Akahiko did go through the trouble of bringing you up from Tokyo,” Akari relented.

The four teens headed into the living room, Akari sitting across from Ryoga, while the other two sat off to one side. Ryoga himself was very nervous, studying the table and unable to meet Akari’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Ryoga said at last. “I didn’t want to lie to you, but I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth, so I just ran. You didn’t deserve that.”

There was another pause until Ryoga grunted while Ranma shifted a little. No doubt the redhead had kicked her one boyfriend in the thigh.

“When you were being... _intimate_ , I wasn’t feeling what I thought I was supposed to be feeling. I couldn’t say why, everything else said I was in lo... in love with you. So... I also couldn’t bring myself to tell you that. Then, while I was just letting myself get lost, I bumped into Ranma and Akahiko. With Akahiko now a guy, I thought that explained it. That if I otherwise liked guys, I was gay. But, then... well, circumstances revealed that I was that either. I just... I don’t really get _those_ feelings in general, it seems,” Ryoga explained. “D-does that make sense?”

Akari stared at him a moment, before turning to Ranma and Akahiko.

“Apparently it’s a thing,” Ranma replied with a shrug. “The shrink he and Akahiko’ve been sein’ gave us some reading material about it.”

“Oh? Y-you’re both seeing a psychiatrist?” Akari asked, causing the two boys to both get to work studying the table. “Are you trying to change it, Ryoga?”

The fanged boy blushed. “I... I dunno. It’d probably make life a bit easier if I could.”

“You shouldn’t,” Akari stated flatly. “You should be you. Maybe it’s a bit awkward sometimes, but I don’t want to end up marrying a man who’s trying to be something he’s not. I know it’s not quite the same, but I remember my efforts to stop liking pigs for you and... I wouldn’t want you to try to do something like that to yourself.”

“W-wait, you’d still be willing to marry me?” Ryoga asked, locking eyes with Akari.

“As long as you promise to talk to me rather than running away in future, even if you think the truth might hurt me,” Akari replied, her tone matter of fact.

Ryoga lit up with a smile that spread across his face, revealing both his little fangs. Only to begin blushing as he looked over to Ranma and Akahiko nervously. “I... um... well... I think I need some time to make a decision here.”

Akari looked confused for a moment, before she too blushed. “Oh no! Ranma! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to try to steal both your boyfriends in the same day.”

Ranma gave a shrug. “I mean, he _was_ your fiance first. I was stealin’ him from you, really. ‘Course, he’s also Akahiko’s boyfriend, not just mine.”

“Oh, oh yes,” Akari replied, nodding with an enthusiasm that could have been nervousness. “Sorry to you too Akahiko.”

“Same boat as Ranma. We both stole him from you,” Akahiko said.

There was a bit of a pause as the other three thought things over, and they all noticed Ryoga whispering indecisively to himself. What he was saying wasn’t quite audible, however. It only made the silence more awkward, even if it was a bit less silent.

“Oh, it’s almost 4:30! I have to go feed the pigs!” Akari suddenly announced as he eyes had wandered over to the clock.

“D-did you need help?” Akahiko offered.

“Sure! More hands make easier work,” Akari replied. “Plus, all the food weighs a lot. Would be nice to have someone stronger to help carry, and I think Ryoga’s likely to wander off if we let him go outdoors.”

“Huh?” Ryoga said, looking around in confusion, having possibly forgotten where he was.

“Nothin’ muscles, don’t worry,” Ranma replied, leaning her face into her palm.

* * *

She shouldn’t have gone out here. She should trust her boyfriend. But... well, her _other_ boyfriend was so obviously still in love with Akari.

And so Ranma was hidden at the door of the barn, umi-sen ken engaged to avoid detection.

Akahiko and Akari were feeding the pigs, with Akahiko gushing over how cute most of them were. Whenever he was doing so, looking away at the pigs, Akari was watching him with love in her eyes. _That_ made Ranma squirm a little, but it wasn’t a sign against Akahiko.

But then Ranma noticed how, when Akari would brush against Akahiko when spreading food about, the tall teen would blush.

Ranma scrunched her eyes closed and began to count to ten. Then fifteen. The _fifty_.

“No, no jealousy. I want them to be happy,” Ranma muttered to herself, before sprinting off.

* * *

They were finishing up feeding the pigs, and Akahiko couldn’t deny that his heart was racing a bit. The pigs were cute, especially the piglets, but Akari was cuter. She was so kind and full of love. As she hung up the bucket they’d been carrying about, she gave him a smile that made his legs turn to jelly.

There was no denying it. He had a major crush.

At least he felt safe in guessing at Ryoga’s answer if he proposed the idea of trying to move from 3 to 4, but Ranma... he had no idea what the pigtailed cutie might feel about the matter.

Heading into the Unryuu home, he was surprised to learn Ranma had headed out a bit earlier, apparently wanting to enjoy some fresh country air.

Knowing Ranma, Akahiko decided it was time to start checking rooftops. To his surprise, Ranma wasn’t there. Hopping up onto the barn roof, he decided to look around for anything in the area that might be taller, and spotted a particularly large tree near the edge of the lot.

Hurrying over, he wasn’t surprised when climbing the tree soon left him face to face with the cute redhead.

“Is everything okay?” Akahiko asked, noticing the distant look in her eyes.

“Ryoga’s still totally in love with her,” Ranma muttered, not bothering to sit up from her reclined position on the tree trunk. “So, what about you?”

“I... I don’t know?” Akahiko offered as he found a spot to sit. “I know she’s cute and kind. So, I _think_ it’s a crush? But if it could end up as love? I don’t know.”

“She likes you. I can tell,” Ranma said, staring up at the sky.

“Well... we’re not due to grab a bus home for a couple of days. Why don’t we just see how things go?” Akahiko offered.

Ranma shrugged.

“Well, at the very least, they’re going to be serving dinner soon. We should at least be polite enough to be on time for that?” Akahiko said.

That got Ranma to sit up. “Alright yeah. I’m starving. Food first, big conversations later.”

Akahiko smiled. “You know your priorities.”

The redhead leaned in, a smile on her face before she gave Akahiko a quick kiss on the cheek. “Of course I do.”

The pair hopped down from the tree and headed back to the Unryuu home. They found Ryoga still sitting at the main room table. Akari and her mother were busy in the kitchen, while her father and grandfather were watching sumo wrestling on tv.

Dinner was ready not to long after, and the whole group crowded around the dinner table, all enjoying generous helpings of hearty rural cooking. Ranma ate surprisingly little, though Akahiko found his eyes drifting to Akari more, trying to work out the depths of his own feelings towards the girl. Whenever she noticed, the brunette would blush, and he had trouble not returning the expression.

After dinner, Ranma went to help with dishes, while Akahiko and Ryoga found themselves dragged into watching more of a sumo tournament with Akari and the men of the family. Both boys had to admit there were some interesting techniques, though they remained certain judo grabs were more relevant for their life.

After a few matches, Akahiko noticed Ryoga grabbing onto Akari’s hand when cheering. (Well, when Ryoga wasn’t grabbing Akahiko’s hand, and since it _was_ Ryoga, he was completely sure if the fanged boy was noticing who’s hand he was grabbing.)

After an amount of time Akahiko hadn’t really paid attention to, he noticed (a now male) Ranma at the door of the room.

“What’s up?” Akahiko asked, slipping over to get some breathing room for Akari’s father who insisted on demonstrating some holds on him.

“Just, I think I’m going to go do some katas. Was stuck on a train too long. Not sure how long I’m going to be, and it’s getting a little late already, so... ya don’t need to stay up,” Ranma replied, not making eye contact.

“I.... okay,” Akahiko replied, not sure how to handle Ranma’s odd mood.

Ranma finally turned to him with a smile, before stretching up a bit to kiss Akahiko quickly.

“Love you, and Ryoga too, of course,” the pigtailed boy said, before jogging over towards the door and into the evening.

The young Tendo blinked, feeling like he was missing something as he went back to the crowd around the tv.

* * *

It was a while before the sumo tournament ended, and when it did everyone was ready for bed. Akahiko stretched as he stood up, before realising there was a pressing question to be asked.

“So, um, where will I be sleeping?”

Akari’s mother looked up at him with a surprised expression. “I thought you and Ryoga were both planning to set up futons in Akari’s room?”

“B-both of them?” Akari’s father asked. “I can handle her having shared the room with her fiance, but two boys seems a bit much.”

“Well, Akahiko was a girl until recently, so I think we can trust him to respect Akari’s space. And we can certainly trust Ryoga to behave himself,” Mrs. Unryuu replied sharply. “And then, when Ranma does come home, odds are as good on that child being a girl as a boy, so I trust Ranma too.”

“W-wait, you were a girl before? I... I’m sorry about those sumo holds,” Akari’s father said quickly to Akahiko.

The young Tendo shrugged. “I’m a guy now. I’ve been practicing grappling with others guys loads too. So I’m over any awkwardness I might have had.”

“Oh, well... that’s good,” the man replied, clearly still a little awkward about it.

* * *

Akari’s alarm clocking buzzing away drew Akahiko from his slumber. It took him a moment to remember why he was there, though a glance over across the room at Ryoga and Akari cuddling in their sleep warmed his heart and was all the reminder he needed.

“Mrmrm... five more minutes,” Akari muttered as her hand reaching vaguely for her alarm clock, accidentally slapping Ryoga in the face a couple of times.

Akahiko couldn’t help giggling, when he realised that Ranma was nowhere to be seen. Concerned, he got up as quietly as he good, and slipped out into the hallway. It was still dark, but he was able to navigate well enough as he headed to check the living room.

Still no Ranma.

He bit his lip in thought while trying to work out where else Ranma might have ended up.

The kitchen proved not to be the answer. A quick check of the furo to see if Ranma had just gotten up early proved just as fruitless.

Heading to the front door, Akahiko’s heart fell as he noticed Ranma’s shoes and bag were both gone.

“It’s supposed to be Ryoga who wanders off... where are you Ranma?” the tired Tendo muttered to himself.

Even though it made no real sense, Akahiko checked the pig sties and then the large tree Ranma had been in the afternoon before. Neither held Ranma.

“Okay, Akahiko: think. Um... he can’t be camping. He doesn’t have his tent or his bed roll. Um... I don’t think he’d break into anyone’s house. So... an inn. Maybe there’s an inn nearby,” he said to himself, hurrying back to the Unryuu home.

Slipping up the stairs quietly, he found a now awake Akari trying to wiggle out of the firm grip of snoring Ryoga.

“Akari,” Akahiko whispered, “are there any inns around here?”

“Inns? I... there’s one in the village. It’s kind of run down though. Why?” the girl whispered back.

“Ranma’s missing. I think that’s the best place to start looking for him, since the buses only come a couple times during the day.”

“I can show you the way... once I get out of Ryo’s grip,” Akari replied in hushed tones.

“I know how to wake him, Ranma showed me,” Akahiko replied, a mischievous grin that proved he _was_ a Tendo spreading across his face as he leaned down next to his sleeping boyfriend. He cupped his hands around Ryoga’s ear.

“Ryoga! Wake up!” Akahiko shouted, loud enough Akari could hear despite Ryoga’s head no doubt absorbing most of the sound.

“Wah! I’m awake!” Ryoga blurted as he bolted upright, accidentally headingbutting Akahiko and sending the other boy sprawling across the floor. “What’s going on?”

“Ow... Ranma neglected to mention that risk factor,” the Tendo boy grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

“Ranma’s missing, Ryoga. We have to go find him. We’re going to try the village, since there’s an inn,” Akari explained.

“Oh... Oh! Yeah, we should get going,” Ryoa said, hopping to his feet and heading towards the door.

“Uh, we should probably get less pyjama-y clothing before we head on a rescue mission,” Akahiko pointed out, his forehead still a bit sore.

“Right! Yeah, that makes sense,” Ryoga replied, blushing a little.

* * *

Now fully dressed, the trio jogged towards the village, with Akari riding on Katsunishiki’s back to keep up. The sun was starting to be firmly risen as they reached the village. Another time, Akahiko might have been happy to take in the quaintness of the small historic settlement, but as it was, his mind was focused on Ranma.

Following Akari to the inn, the girl began knocking, hoping the innkeeper would be awake.

“So, I hate to ask, but... what do we do if Ranma _isn’t_ here?” Ryoga asked while they waited.

Akahiko could only give a vague hand gesture. “I’ve honestly got no idea. Try the nearest train station maybe?”

While the trio tried to work out a good backup plan, the door finally opened, revealing an elderly man with a slumped posture.

“What may I ask has anyone up at th-oh! Unryuu-chan. What a surprise. If it’s you it must be something important,” the elderly innkeeper said.

“I’m sorry for waking you so early, but... did someone about our age with a pigtail rent a room last night?” Akari asked.

“Someone your age with a pigtail? Interesting description... but yes, I had a young man with one, if you’re looking for a boy,” the man replied.

“Can we go up and visit him?” Akahiko asked.

“I generally don’t let anyone up to the guest rooms without the permission of the guest in question,” the man replied. “What’s this all about anyhow?”

“We’re not really sure,” Ryoga replied. “He was supposed to just be staying with us, and said he wanted to go out for some fresh air. Then he didn’t come back.”

“Hmm... I’ll go wake him, see if he’s willing to talk. Just a minute. Do come in... though, maybe not the pig,” the man replied.

“W-why can’t I—” Ryoga began to ask.

“He means Katsunishiki,” Akahiko explained, getting an ‘oh’ from Ryoga.

The trio stepped in, sitting down at a small table in the corner of the lobby. Akahiko felt a sinking feeling in his gut as an idea of just what might have prompted Ranma to act so oddly came to him.

Also, he had to admit to feeling a little hungry, especially as the old man’s ‘a minute’ stretched into five minutes. Finally, though, a sleepy Ranma appeared at the stairs, glad in his usual sleeping attire of boxers and undershirt.

“H-hey there,” Ranma said shyly, reluctantly walking over to the other three. “What’s up?”

“What’s up!?” Ryoga and Akahiko blurted in unison. The pair lost synchronization as they began to ramble about how worried they’d been, though their tones remained equally distraught.

As the boys finally stopped rambling to breath, Akari slid in for a more easy to follow summary.

“Why did you stay here overnight? There’s plenty of room at the farm.”

“I... I didn’t want to be a third-well, I guess _fourth_ wheel?” Ranma replied, still a bit groggy. “I saw how Ryoga’s so in love with you. And Akahiko wasn’t exactly hidin’ his feelings well either. And, well, I like ya as a friend, Akari, but not romantically. So I thought I’d step outta the way so that the three of ya could be happy t’gether.”

That prompted another case of stereo ranting from Akahiko and Ryoga. This time Ranma was awake enough to follow more than a third of it. Though he didn’t look like he understood it on an emotional level.

Ryoga found himself out of breath for Akahiko though, allowing the latter boy to say a bit on his own.

“Why on earth do you think you have to leave anyway?”

“Well, it’s all like a molecule, ain’t it? And a molecule can’t work if their ain’t chemistry between two parts,” Ranma replied.

“Sure it can,” the old man replied from his desk. “I don’t really follow the rest of what you’re saying, but I worked at a chemical processing plant before retiring out here, and I can tell you that plenty of molecules include two atoms that would never interact. It just means there’s other atoms in between them. If you kids are looking for help with studying, I’d be glad to give it my best shot.”

The four of them smiled awkwardly at the old man, thrilled he missed the basis of the conversation, but worried he might clue in any moment.

“I... guess that makes sense,” Ranma admitted. “We’ve got the summer to figure out the specifics. S-sorry for kinda jumpin’ ta the most dramatic option.”

Akahiko and Ryoga both smiled, before leaning in to give Ranma a kiss on either cheek.

“Just, don’t do that again, okay?” Ryoga said.

“Please,” Akahiko added.

Ranma melted after looking at both their soft expressions. “Okay.”

Akari smiled softly. “Seeing them happy with you feels almost as nice as making them happy myself.”

Ranma smiled right back. “And vice versa. I trust them in your hands.”


End file.
